High Court halts reinstatement of Corrections ACP Asif pending appeal review

The High Court has suspended the reinstatement of former Maldives Correctional Service Assistant Commissioner Mohamed Asif, halting the Civil Court’s order to return him to his post.

Asif was dismissed after months of suspension over allegations that more than MVR 200,000 from the Prisons Club was deposited into multiple bank accounts. He had been suspended before his termination and later filed a wrongful dismissal case at the Civil Court.

The Civil Court ruled that Asif was unlawfully dismissed and ordered Maldives Correctional Service to reinstate him as Assistant Commissioner and pay the salary and allowances for the period he was out of work. The court had also issued an injunction preventing the recruitment of another person to the post until the case was decided.

However, the State appealed the ruling. Following the appeal, the High Court issued an interim order stopping Asif’s re‑employment until the High Court concludes its review of the case.

Asif’s lawyer argued that Corrections dismissed him without conducting a proper investigation and without following the fairness procedures required when terminating an employee.