Court orders MVK to handover duty free shop premises to GMR

The Civil Court of the Maldives has yesterday ordered Alpha MVKB Maldives Private Limited (MVK) to handover the premises of its duty free shop at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport to GMR, the Indian company which runs the Airport.

According to the court order, the shop premises are to be handed over to GMR within 48 hours, the time starting at 10 pm today.

The order of the Court was based on a previous decision of the same Court recognizing that GMR had the legal right to ask MVK to handover the shop premises, as the term of agreement made between GMR and MVK under which the premises were rented to MVK by GMR had come to an end.

Civil Court decision on the status of the agreement between MVK and GMR was upheld by the High Court of the Maldives as well. However, MVK had refused to comply with the decisions, and later GMR filed another case asking for enforcement of them. It was in lieu of this case that the Civil Court issued its order yesterday.

Judge Mariyam Nihayath pronounced the Order of the Court, obliging MVK to empty the shop premises of all the goods and other property belonging to MVK, and to hand over the premises to GMR.

Civil Court order also contains express provision obliging the Maldives Police Services and the Maldives Customs services to forcefully, yet peacefully, implement the Court Order if MVK fails to do so.