Sun Siyam’s Passport Impounded in Singapore

MV+ News Desk | July 20, 2023

Businessman and Member of Parliament (MP) from Meedhoo constituency, Ahmed Siyam, also known as Sun Siyam, has had his passport impounded by Singapore authorities. 

This action was taken on Monday when Siyam arrived in Singapore, and he was subsequently barred from leaving the country in connection with the ongoing Hilton case.

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The dispute between Siyam’s Sun Travels & Tours and Hilton International has been ongoing since 2013 when Sun Company canceled their agreement with Hilton. Hilton sought arbitration in Singapore, resulting in a $24 million compensation order against Sun Company. Subsequent legal battles in the Maldives have further complicated the situation.

Siyam had travelled to Singapore after the matter was taken up in the High Court of Singapore, where he was given a three-month period to make the payment. His visit to Singapore came after campaigning in the Maldives for the September presidential election alongside President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, with whom he had been working closely during the elections.

In 2017, a civil court had initially ordered Hilton to pay $16 million in damages to Sun Travels following the Singapore arbitration, but the high court overturned the verdict, leading to a new civil suit filed by Hilton.

Both Singapore and Maldives’ courts are involved in the dispute, with the Maldivian Civil Court also issuing an order to impound Siyam’s passport in connection with the implementation of the Singapore arbitration ruling. Despite previous attempts, Siyam had failed to pay the required amount, leading to the impounding of his passport.

The Ministry of External Affairs of Maldives has sent a letter to Singapore authorities, providing information about Siyam as an MP from the Meedhoo constituency and highlighting his roles as the President of the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) and the Honorary Consul of the Maldives to Romania and Korea.

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