FAM’s USD 3.3M payment order temporarily suspended

The High Court has issued a stay on the Civil Court’s order requiring the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) to pay USD 3.382 million within a month to T Kuing Construction Co. Ltd., a South Korean company that built the football stadium in Villimale’.

The payment order was issued after FAM failed to appear in court despite receiving prosecution documents. Civil Court Judge Ali Abdulla ruled in favor of the company, citing non-payment despite concessions made by the contractor.

FAM appealed the ruling, and a panel of three High Court judges has now suspended the execution of the payment order pending further proceedings.

The association has faced multiple legal challenges in recent years. Former FAM president Bassam Adeel Jaleel was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to nine years in prison, four years for fraud and five years for money laundering.