The High Court has dismissed an appeal by former attorney general Aishath Azima Shakoor, who was contesting a Civil Court verdict issued in early January. This verdict required her to reimburse MVR 4 million for failing to repay a loan from the Maldives Islamic Bank (MIB).
The decision to reject Azima’s appeal was confirmed by the High Court on Tuesday.
Azima was initially mandated by the Civil Court on January 2 to settle MVR 4 million, covering unpaid loan amounts and penalties, after the MIB filed a lawsuit against her.
According to court records, Azima received a loan of MVR 3.1 million in 2016, securing it with her apartment at Platinum Residence in Hulhumale’ as collateral. The court determined that she had not adhered to the agreed regular payment schedule for the loan, and thus ordered her to pay MVR 4.1 million, encompassing both the loan and penalties, to MIB within a six-month period.
This ruling was issued in Azima’s absence.
She filed an appeal against this decision with the High Court on January 9.
Azima has previously asserted that her inability to repay the loan was due to legal challenges faced during the previous administration, which she claimed obstructed her legal practice and earnings.
She also raised concerns about the timing of the ruling, which coincided with her ongoing negotiations with the bank to restructure the loan.
This legal development occurred just before the Male’ City mayoral by-elections, where Azima represented the main ruling party, PNC. Despite being a leading candidate, she was significantly defeated by the main opposition MDP’s candidate, Adam Azim.