Sureimaan Lebbe Riyal Mohommed Haniffa v. The Attorney General – CA CASE NO. 99/2016-2017

In the case between Sureimaan Lebbe Riyal Mohommed Haniffa (Accused-Appellant) and the Attorney General (Respondent), the court addressed the issue of whether an appeal against the High Court’s vehicle confiscation order was maintainable under section 79(1) of Act no. 13 of 1984, considering the appellant’s status as the registered owner at the time of the offense. It was held that the appeal could not be maintained as the appellant was not the registered owner, reaffirming the principle that the right of appeal is strictly statutory and cannot be implied or extended. This determination relied upon statutory interpretation of the relevant section and supporting precedent (Martin vs. Wijewardena, 1989), underscoring that locus standi is necessary for appellate jurisdiction and that conversi