Two Men Found Guilty and Fined MVR 20,000 for Assault in Villimale

Two Maldivian men have been found guilty and fined a combined MVR 20,000 for assaulting a man in Villimale in December 2024.

The Criminal Court of Maldives found Ismail Wisam Mohamed of M. Hissa, Malé, and Athif Abdul Haleem of V. Gaamaa, Malé, guilty of assaulting a man on 23 December 2024 at around 8:10pm.

According to the prosecution, the two men approached Mohamed Azmeen Ibrahim while he was on a joali and slapped him on the left cheek. Azmeen then went inside a nearby property, where the two men and others allegedly followed him and assaulted him.

The prosecution further alleged that Azmeen went to the nearby Liquid Water Sports beach, where the two men followed him, picked up a stone from the ground and struck him on the head. They allegedly continued assaulting him after he returned to the road, causing significant injuries.

The State charged the two men with touching a person without consent and causing harm. Under the relevant law, the offence can constitute a fourth-degree felony when severe bodily harm is inflicted.

Ismail Wisam denied the allegations, telling the court that he had gone to the scene solely to separate the individuals involved and had not assaulted anyone.

The court ruled that prosecution witness testimony established the guilt of both men beyond reasonable doubt, in accordance with Article 51 of the Constitution.

Ismail Wisam was initially sentenced to one month and 11 days in prison, while Athif Abdul Haleem was sentenced to one month and 29 days.

The court subsequently commuted Ismail Wisam’s sentence to an MVR 8,200 fine and Athif Abdul Haleem’s sentence to an MVR 11,800 fine.

Both men were given 12 months to pay their respective fines.