Man fined for trespassing into Hulhumale’ Prison

Criminal Court has fined an individual by MVR 26,600 after finding him guilty of trespassing a Maldives Correctional Service prison facility in Hulhumalé.

The defendant, Azim Mohamed, Flat No. 04-1-123, Hulhumalé, was found guilty of "trespass" under Article 230 of the Penal Code of the Maldives. According to the prosecution, Azim trespassed the Maldives Correctional Service prison premises on Onugas Magu in Hulhumalé at approximately 20:14 on June 20, 2026.

During proceedings before the Criminal Court, the defendant voluntarily pled guilty to the charge. Based on his admission, the presiding judge determined that the prosecution had established his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

As the offence is classified as a Class 5 felony, the statutory basic sentence is nine months and 18 days in prison. However, the sentence was reduced by one level following the defendant’s confession and further mitigated by another level at the court’s discretion in recognition of his cooperation. This resulted in a revised sentence of four months and 24 days. After crediting the 11 days he had spent in detention during the course of the investigation, the enforceable sentence was reduced to four months and 13 days.

Taking into account the defendant’s confession, cooperation with the court, and lack of a previous criminal record for a similar offence, the court converted the four-month-and-13-day prison sentence into a fine of MVR 26,600. The court ordered the defendant to pay the fine to the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) within six months.