Man Sentenced for Using Fake Payment Slips to Order MVR 115,000 in Meals from Olive Garden

The Criminal Court has sentenced a man to prison and house arrest after he was found guilty of using forged payment slips to order meals worth MVR 115,000 from Olive Garden restaurant.

Abdulla Fazeel, a resident of Daisymaage, Dh. Kudahuvadhoo, was convicted on two charges brought by the State: fraud and forging documents with intent to deceive. These charges stemmed from two separate cases, and the hearings were conducted independently.

Details of the Fraudulent Activity

According to the court’s verdict, between August 22, 2019, and October 25, 2021, Fazeel ordered food from Olive Garden and received the meals without fully paying for them. Instead, he sent payment amounts lower than the actual bill and submitted forged bank transfer slips through Viber to the restaurant as proof of payment.

Over this period, Fazeel acquired meals worth MVR 115,000 by repeatedly using these fake slips, effectively deceiving the restaurant into providing food without proper payment.

Court Ruling and Sentencing

Fazeel admitted to the charges during the trial. Because of his guilty plea and the severity of the fraud, the court deducted the days he spent in custody from his sentence. He was sentenced to one year and 22 days in prison, followed by six months of house arrest.

In addition, for producing forged documents with the intent to deceive, he received a further prison sentence of three months and 18 days, also reduced by time already served.

Compensation Ordered

The company operating Olive Garden, Sunrise Maldives Pvt Ltd, requested compensation for the unpaid amount. The court ruled that Fazeel must pay MVR 115,000 in restitution within six months.