Civil Court registers class-action lawsuit against SeaLife

Civil Court has registered the class-action lawsuit filed by 203 tenants against SeaLife Global, Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and Ministry of Economic Development.

SeaLife announced its scheme for a 3,000-apartment complex in Hulhumale’ in 2015.

280 tenants paid the booking fee of MVR 50,000, some paying more than the MVR 50,000, but the apartment complex was never built and the tenants never reimbursed for their down payments.

The SeaLife housing fraud scandal is also investigation by Economic Crime Department of Maldives Police Service.

The plaintiffs in the biggest class-action lawsuit in the history of Maldives is being represented by Attorney Mariyam Shauna, who previously worked at the Attorney General’s Office.

203 victims of the SeaLife housing fraud scandal are demanding the following:

• Reimbursement of down payment
• Compensation for decrease in market value of the apartments over the duration tenants failed to receive the apartments
• Right of first purchase of apartments built by HDC
• Compensation for loans taken by tenants to make down payment
• Determining grounds for extraction of compensation from SeaLife Global and its directors by HDC and the Maldivian government