President pardons minor convicted of murder

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has pardoned a child sentenced to 18 years in prison for the murder of Mohamed Anas.

Eight people, including a child, were charged in the murder of Anas. The boy was convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison in October last year.

The others are currently being tried in the Criminal Court.

The hearings concluded in April and the verdict will be announced within a month, Criminal Court Judge Ali Nadeem said. However, no trial has been held since then.

The President pardoned the child convicted of Anas' murder on 26th last month. 

President Solih's pardon comes despite his promise to bring justice to the murder.

There are only three days left before the end of President Solih's rule. The President is taking advantage of the legal amnesty in a very different way. The President has also pardoned former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb and former MMPRC Managing Director Abdullah Ziyath, who have been convicted and sentenced to prison over the MMPRC corruption scandal.

Anas, Fenfiyazge/R. Meedhoo, was brutally murdered on 31 July 2017.

Seven people are currently being tried in the Criminal Court:

Five years after the murder, the prosecution said the court had not taken the testimony of many of the witnesses submitted by the prosecution. The few who testified could not identify Anas' attackers in the killing.

The prosecution noted in the Criminal Court that the secret witnesses submitted by the prosecution in the case of Anas's murder had been intimidated. Some witnesses did not appear in court for the hearings because they were being influenced and intimidated. However, the prosecution says the case can also be proved by reference to written evidence.

According to the defense, nobody can be convicted on the murder of Anas because the attackers had not been identified.

Summary of the case

After investigating Anas's death, the police had said at the time that he was not killed with a plan to attack him directly, but that it happened "by accident" when the assailants had tried to attack someone else.

Anas had about 24 stab wounds in different parts of his body. There were deep, large wounds.

The doctor who treated Anas had previously told the court: