Individual Sentenced To Pay MVR 27,000 Fine For Threatening American Ambassador Keshap

The Criminal Court has sentenced an individual who had threatened to kill the former American ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Atul Keshap, with a fine of MVR 27,000.

The death threat had been issued by a Maldivian national via Twitter on June 2018. Although the individual had threatened to kill both Ambassador Keshap and his family if they were to ever arrive in the Maldives. Keshap had served as ambassador until November of that year.

The State has charged the individual with menacing. According to the Criminal Court verdict, the evidence was clear that the individual had indeed issued those threats on Twitter. The verdict had also stated that the tweet had been made on a phone that had been found in his possession. Although he had claimed that the phone had been used by another person, he had been unable to prove his claim in court.

Although the penal code recommends a prison sentence of 4 months and 24 days for the charge menacing, the Criminal Court had decided to instead charge the individual with the sum of MVR 27,800 to be paid within six months, starting yesterday.