Court sets single hearing for verdict in Yameen murder retrial
The prosecution charged six people in the case, but only two were convicted of killing Rasheed.
A bench of judges at the Criminal Court said on Monday that a single hearing will be held in the retrial of the murder of blogger Yameen Rasheed.
The prosecution charged six people in the case, but only two were convicted of killing Rasheed. The High Court quashed the verdict in December and ordered a retrial. The two men are Ismail Haisham Rasheed, H. Annaarumaage, and Ahmed Zihan Ismail, Lot 11399, Hulhumale’.
The convictions of two men who had been acquitted were also quashed and ordered to be reconsidered. They are Mohamed Dihfran, Gdh. Gahddhoo/Sindhubaadhuge, and Ismail Rasheed, M. Thaaif.
The Criminal Court reopened the case at a hearing on Monday. The three-judge bench scheduled another hearing for the 26th of this month after the prosecution and defence said they required more time to prepare. The judges said a decision would follow that hearing.
At the live televised session, presiding judge Ibrahim Ihsan said the High Court’s direction was clear and did not require multiple hearings.
“These are not trials that should be conducted with many hearings. You can decide what to say in one hearing. Lawyers who are prepared should come,” Ihsan said.
The prosecution said it was not prepared to respond because a letter ordered by the High Court for verification had not yet been verified. Prosecutor Mariyam Shahuma said she had been asked to appear at Monday’s hearing to answer three questions. She said a legal debate could only proceed after it was established whether the document qualified as a letter. She added that witnesses had in past cases requested to give such testimony at later stages under intimidation, and said taking the evidence now would not change the previous verdict. She said the statements of the prosecution and defence were not decisive for the court.
In relation to the two men who were previously convicted, the High Court ordered the lower court to confirm the validity of a letter from a prosecution witness seeking to withdraw testimony. The letter stated the testimony had been given under duress.
Judge Ihsan said the High Court directed the court to examine the matter. He said the two convicted men had remained in custody for an extended period without a final decision in the criminal justice system and that the court intended to conclude the case soon.
He said two questions were sent to speed up proceedings and that, under the High Court’s instructions, the positions of the prosecution and defence were not decisive in determining the case. The judge said the case would conclude at the next hearing.
The bench also includes Mohamed Misbah and Ali Nadeem.
