Man Fined MVR 26,600 for Unauthorised Entry into Prison Facility

The Criminal Court has fined a man MVR 26,600 after convicting him of knowingly entering an unauthorised location at a Maldives Correctional Service facility.

Azim Mohamed, a resident of Flat 123-1-04 in Hulhumalé, was convicted of unlawfully entering the Maldives Correctional Service prison facility on Onugas Magu, Hulhumalé, at 8:14pm on 20 June 2026.

The case was submitted by the state. According to the court, Azim confessed to the charge during the preliminary hearing and summary trial proceedings. The court determined that his complete and valid confession established his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The statutory baseline sentence for the offence is seven months and six days in prison. However, after taking into account Azim’s admission and cooperation with the court, the judge reduced the sentence by one degree to four months and 24 days.

The court further deducted the 11 days Azim had already spent in remand detention, leaving a custodial term of four months and 13 days.

Judge Muzammil Nasir subsequently ordered the prison sentence to be converted into a financial penalty. The court noted that Azim had already served part of the custodial sentence, had no previous convictions for similar offences and that rehabilitation and reintegration into the community were relevant considerations.

The court ordered Azim to pay the fine to the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) within six months.