Criminal Court Clears SeaLife MD of Embezzlement Charges; PGO to Appeal

The Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has announced plans to appeal a Criminal Court ruling that found all embezzlement charges against SeaLife Global Inc. Pvt Ltd Managing Director Ahmed Moosa Mohamed not proven.

In a statement issued following the verdict, the PGO said the Criminal Court of the Maldives on Thursday, ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish 42 counts of embezzlement filed against Ahmed in connection with a stalled housing project in Hulhumalé.

The case stems from a 2014 agreement between the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and SeaLife Global Inc. Pvt Ltd to develop 3,000 housing units, widely known as the SeaLife Complex. Prosecutors alleged that the company failed to complete the project within the agreed timeframe and instead collected significant sums of money from buyers through fraudulent means, which were subsequently misappropriated.

According to the PGO, the charges—filed on May 30, 2021, under Section 215(a) with reference to Section 215(b) of the Penal Code—related to funds collected from individuals under the promise of housing that was never delivered. Local media have reported that around 280 buyers paid booking fees, often exceeding MVR 50,000, with total collections estimated at over MVR 14 million.

In its ruling, the Criminal Court determined that the charges were not proven, citing that the matter was civil in nature. The presiding judge held that the transactions in question constituted contractual or business dealings and that any action regarding Ahmed’s conduct should be pursued through the civil justice system rather than criminal prosecution.

The PGO rejected this conclusion, maintaining that the charges meet the legal threshold for embezzlement as defined under Section 215 of the Penal Code. The office stated that the court’s decision was based on an incorrect interpretation of the law and was reached without adequate consideration of the evidence presented during trial.

“The embezzlement charges brought against Ahmed Moosa Mohamed satisfy the essential elements of the offense,” the PGO said, adding that it disagrees with the court’s classification of the case as a civil dispute.

The case has been widely described as one of the largest alleged housing-related fraud cases in the Maldives. In response to the fallout from the failed project, the government had also offered relief to some affected buyers by facilitating their inclusion in alternative housing schemes.