High Court backs decision to lift travel ban on Ammaty

The High Court decided on Tuesday to uphold the decision by the Criminal Court to temporarily lift the travel ban on SeaLife Global’s managing director Ahmed Moosa Mohamed (Ammaty) – who is on trial for defrauding over 200 tenants out of millions in booking fees for a planned apartment complex in suburban Hulhumale’.

The Criminal Court had lifted the travel ban on Ammaty on December 6, after he requested permission to travel overseas to undergo a spinal surgery. According to the court, the decision was only temporary – from December 6 to December 26.

The state appealed the decision with the High Court – seeking an injunction to suspend his passport or travel document.

The High Court had issued an injunction last week to suspend Ammaty’s passport until the court made a decision.

The appeal was heard by a bench of three judges – Judge Fathimath Faruheeza, Judge Mohamed Shahuneez Abdulla, and Judge Hassan Mazeed.

Faruheeza and Shahuneez found in favor of upholding the Criminal Court’s decision, while Mazeed warned that Ammaty is a high flight risk, and should not be allowed to travel overseas without imposing strict conditions.

But the bench decided to uphold the decision to lift the travel ban, despite the reservations.

SeaLife announced its 3,000-apartment housing project, the SeaLife Complex in Hulhumale’, back in 2015.

280 tenants paid a booking fee of MVR 50,000 (some more than MVR 50,000). But the SeaLife Complex was never built.

The cumulative total of the booking fees collected by SeaLife is estimated to be upwards of MVR 14 million.

Housing Development Corporation (now Urbanco) later intervened to reimburse the tenants who submitted documents to the corporation, and they were given priority in the sale of Vinares apartments.

Ammaty, who had an Interpol red notice out for his capture since 2019, was arrested in neighboring Sri Lanka in February, 2021.

Ammaty, who has been pressed with 42 charges of fraud and embezzlement, faces 65 years in prison if the charges are proven against him in court.