Tag: West Park

Civil court rules against Yacht Tours over West Park dispute

The Civil Court has issued a sentence stating that the Malé City Council is not liable to pay damages to Yacht Tours Pvt Ltd after the company filed a case accusing the council of breaching the terms of the West Park Cafeteria lease.

The sentence issued today (January 13) said that “as it was not proved to the court that the city council had breached the agreement between the council and Yacht Tours, the court does not find the council liable of any damages to Yacht Tours.”

Yacht Tours – owned by former Kaashidhoo MP Abdulla Jabir – filed the case after the city council leased out West Park to former professional tennis player Amir Mansoor in September 2012.

Jabir accused the council of breaching a contract made in 2005, when the city council was known as the Malé Municipality.

The company had accused the council of breaching Article 11 of the contact which stated that the company should be granted the opportunity to extend the contract before it expires, while requesting the court to issue a temporary order prohibiting it from handing West Park to another party.

However, the court sentence today stated that the company was unable to prove it had formally requested an extension to the contract six months prior to the termination as required under Article 11 of the contract.

The Civil Court had previously thrown out the case after the then Yacht Tours Lawyer Mohamed Anil refused to accept a chit handed to him by the court, in which the council accused the company of trying to drag out court proceedings in order to garner profit from the café.

Speaking at the court the second time the case the was filed, former Attorney General Diyana Saeed – also Jabir’s wife – represented Yacht Tours, saying that Anil had refused to accept the chit without consulting the company.

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Lawyer of Shifan murder suspect says witness statements contradictory

The lawyer of Abdulla Thimeez – charged with the murder of Ali Shifan – has argued in court that the witness statements given to the Criminal Court were inconsistent with on another.

According to local media present at the High Court today, Thilmeez’s lawyer Shaheem Ahmed said that two witnesses reported seeing Thlimeez near West Park restaurant, where Shifan was murdered, while the others have said they did not see Thilmeez at the murder scene.

Lawyer Shaheem said that, as the witnesses were inconsistent, some must have been lying, also noting that murder cases can be proven only if there is enough evidence to rule a person guilty without doubt.

Shifan was attacked around on April 1, 2012, outside the West Park restaurant on Boduthakurufaanu Magu – the outer ring road of Male’.

He was stabbed multiple times in the back and arms by a group of men on motorbikes as he stepped out of the restaurant to meet a friend, police reported.

In March, 2013, the Criminal Court ruled that all six suspects arrested in connection with the stabbing murder of Ali Shifan are innocent and ordered their release.

The judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to convict, reported local media, despite the DNA of the victim being found under the fingernail of one of the suspects.

Although the state had produced five witnesses to the court, their statements to police were contradictory said the judge at the time.

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Criminal Court acquits six suspects in Shifan’s murder case, despite DNA evidence

The Criminal Court has ruled that all six suspects arrested in connection with the stabbing murder of Ali Shifan are innocent and ordered their release.

The judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to convict, reported local media, despite the DNA of the victim being found under the fingernail of one of the suspects.

The six suspects were identified by the police as Ali Nabeeh, 22, of M.Nalahiyaa Manzil, Mohamed Shaifan, 18, of Male’ Dhaftharu no 3912,  Razzan Abdu Rahman, 19, of Kaanimaage house in Thulhaadhoo island of Baa Atoll,  Abdul Thilmeez, 20, of M.Thilmeez,  Mohamed Asif, 19, of Maafahi house inKurendhoo island of Lhaviyani Atoll and Mohamed Mishaan Abdul Haadhy, 20, of M.Silver Nest.

The judge said that although the state had produced five witnesses to the court, their statements to police were contradictory.

The court also acknowledged that Ali Shifan’s DNA was found under Shaifan’s fingernail, and accepted that this was “strong forensic evidence”.

However, the judge cited a Supreme Court ruling stating that when dealing with murder cases, a suspect could only be convicted if there was enough evidence to believe he was guilty beyond any doubt, and said the state was not able to convince the court that they were guilty.

Shifan was attacked around 4:15pm on April 1, 2012, outside the Westpark restaurant on Boduthakurufaanu Magu, the outer ring road of Male’.

He was stabbed multiple times in the back and arms by a group of men on some motorbikes as he stepped out of a restaurant to meet a friend, police said.

Shifan had no previous records of any gang involvement, police said, adding that it was unclear as to why he was targeted by the gang.

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Tea shop closed by MFDA after live goat found in toilet

The Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) has shut down a number of well-known Male’ restaurants and tea shops for hygiene breaches.

One famous tea shop on Majeedhee Magu, ‘Faseyha Point’, was closed after inspectors found a live goat tied up inside the teashop’s toilet.

MFDA said the tea shop’s hygiene condition was very poor.

Well known restaurants West Park and Raaveriya in Maafannu have also been closed in the MFDA’s hygiene crackdown, after both failed to meet the authority’s standards.

Media Coordinator of MFDA Jameela Mohamed told Minivan News that the authority shut down West Park because cats were roaming around in the service area.

‘’The restaurant’s kitchen door is always open and cats will enter the kitchen,’’ she said.

Jameela said the Raaveriya restaurant had house flies in the kitchen and lizards in their storeroom.

‘’So far we have checked 82 places and eight have been shutdown,’’ Jameela said.

Both Raaveriya Restaurant and West Park are often used as caters for celebrating wedding parties, birthdays and other such events.

Manager of West Park, Abdulla Gadhir, told newspaper Haveeru that cats do not enter the kitchen area of the restaurant.

He told the paper that there were two cats that lived in the fishing area right next to the restaurant.

Manager of Raaveriya, Ahmed Shareef told the paper that the restaurant sprayed insecticide weekly to terminate houseflies and other insects.

Director General of MFDA Shareefa Adam recently told Minivan News that any premises that were shut down could reapply to open again once they had corrected issues raised with their business.

Shareefa said the MFDA were using “basic” minimum hygiene standards such as cleanliness and preventing foreign materials from getting into food when inspecting the food outlets.

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