Bar Council Suspends Licences of Two Lawyers Over Misuse of Public Notary Seal

The Bar Council of Maldives (BCM) has suspended the licences of two lawyers following findings that one of them notarised a legal agreement using a seal issued to the other.

In a statement, the BCM said the agreement had been signed and notarised by Zunnavaar Saleem using the public notary seal granted to his wife, Mehenaz Hussain. The matter relates to events in 2021, when Mehenaz had been authorised to provide public notary services. However, Zunnavaar acted under the permit, which led to both being fined MVR 100,000.

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The decision to suspend the couple’s authorisation was made during an emergency meeting held on 27 May in connection with the case. “The actions are likely to raise public questions about the validity of the public notary and may undermine the confidence of the general public in lawyers and the legal profession, and they call into question the integrity of a lawyer,” the Council noted.

As a result of the disciplinary action, Zunnavaar’s legal practice licence has been suspended for 15 months, while Mehenaz’s licence has been suspended for 12 months. The Legal Profession Act prohibits individuals from practising law while their authorisation is withheld.

Zunnavaar has previously faced scrutiny over his qualifications. In 2013, an investigation by the authorities revealed that he had submitted a fraudulent Bachelor of Laws degree to obtain a licence to practise. Despite this, he completed his legal education and took the oath of office in 2020.