Malé, Maldives – The Criminal Court of Maldives has ordered the defendant to pay a settlement of MVR 1 million for the accidental death of a 4 year old child.
This is the first case where a court in the Maldives has sentenced a death settlement of MVR 1 million. The Supreme Court amended the Criminal Procedure Code in July 2021 increasing the blood money amount from MVR 100,000 to MVR 1 million.
On 6 December 2014, two vehicles collided on Majeedhee Magu of the capital city Malé resulting in the death of a 4 year old. The state prosecuted the driver of one vehicle, a pickup truck, Mohamed Adam, H. Happynight Irumatheebai for violating regulations.
The Criminal Court yesterday ruled that the driver of the pickup truck was found guilty of speeding by witness testimonies.
In his defence, Adam stated that he had a sudden back pain resulting in the accident but the court decided that there was no evidence to prove the statement.
The court thereby sentenced Mohamed Adam to 2 months of fasting as per the Islamic Shariah and MVR 1 million as settlement to the heirs of the victim. The Criminal Court also fined Adam for MVR 250 for violating road regulations.
The court has allowed the settlement payment to be made within a duration of 5 years.
