Stall Owners Fined for Illegal Foreign Worker Employment

The Male’ City Council has taken action against owners of nine stalls within the Dhathuruveringe Market for employing foreigners without the required passes. 

This move comes as a reinforcement of the prohibition on foreigners working in the market without proper authorisation, with owners found in breach of this regulation being duly cautioned and fined.

Initially, the offending stall owners were fined MVR 2,000 for their non-compliance. Additionally, a stringent warning was issued, indicating that a repetition of the offence would result in a heightened penalty. Specifically, should the violation occur twice, owners would face a red notice and a fine of MVR 4,000.

Male’ City Council has made it clear that should the employment of foreigners persist despite fines being issued, drastic action may be taken. As a last resort, the council reserves the authority to confiscate the stall from repeat offenders.

This enforcement echoes past instances where similar measures were implemented to address the employment of foreigners within the Dhathuruveringe Market, demonstrating the council’s commitment to upholding regulations surrounding local business operations.

The stalls within the market are allocated to locals for business purposes. However, instances have been observed where some businesses collaborate with foreigners, and in certain cases, stalls are rented out to foreigners for operation.