The High Court has ruled that Fuel Supply Maldives (FSM) acted lawfully in dismissing an employee accused of fraud during oil deliveries from the company's barge Bolike. 

The employee, a man from an island in central Maldives who had been with FSM since 2012, was terminated in October 2019 after evidence showed he engaged in fraudulent and negligent conduct related to fuel transactions on Bolike.

After his dismissal, the employee filed a case with the Employment Tribunal, which ruled that FSM had not provided sufficient justification or followed proper procedures. The tribunal ordered his reinstatement.

FSM appealed this decision to the High Court, which unanimously overturned the tribunal’s ruling. 

In its judgment, the High Court found that the employee had indeed committed negligence and fraud in carrying out his responsibilities. The court emphasized that keeping such an employee could pose ongoing financial and operational risks to the company, making reinstatement inappropriate.

The case was heard by a panel of three judges—Justice Abdul Rauf Ibrahim, Justice Hussain Mazeed, and Justice Mohamed Shaneez Abdullah—who all agreed with the verdict.

The appeal was filed in June 2021, and the case took nearly five years to be resolved.