Anas Murder: PG concerned over delay in trial report
Six years after Anas's death, the trial court on last Sunday ruled that all of the accused were not guilty.
By
Fathmath Ahmed Shareef
The Prosecutor General's Office (PG) has expressed concern over the delay in deciding on the appeal in the murder case of Mohammed Anas, due to lagging in trial reports.
Mohamed Anas, Fenfiyazge/R. Meedhoo was brutally murdered on July 31, 2017. Seven people had been charged in this case at the Criminal Court:
Charge of premeditated murder:
-
Afrah Abdul Razzaq, M. Lonumidilige/ Male
-
Ahmed Zayan, Asurumaage/ Lh. Kurendhoo
-
Usman Shareef, M. Damascus/ Male
Charge of accessory to murder
-
Junaid Abdulla, Nannarige/ L. Gan
-
Hassan Mahfooz, Westernvilla/ S. Feydhoo
-
Simah Moosa, Daftar No. 1746/ Male
-
Mohamed Shaz, Gulfaamge/Th. Kinbidhoo
Six years after Anas's death, the trial court on last Sunday acquitted all of the accused citing lack of evidence.
The PG said the same day that it intended to appeal the verdict with the first appellate court.
Now, a week after the verdict, no decision has been taken on the appeal.
When asked about the reason for the delay in announcing the final decision on the appeal, prosecutor's office spokesman and lawyer Ahmed Shafeeu said the delay was due to the lack of any documents of the case.
He said:
-
The summary report of the trial, which is due to be handed over on the day of sentencing, has not been received yet
-
A full report of the trial decision is required to determine whether a case is worthy of an appeal; however, the report has not been received yet
-
A final decision on the appeal will be made after receipt and examination of these documents
"The appeal period has a deadline and every day of delay in getting the documents from the court poses more pressure. The PG is concerned about this. It is important to get the documents from the court as soon as possible, especially in such murder cases," he said.
The PG pressed that the summary report of the Anas murder trial was not available, which should have been handed over on the day of the verdict.
The full trial report is also required to be submitted by the court within 15 days of the verdict. Shafeeu said:
-
The report is usually received within a week; however, he noted that the documents in this case are delayed, as this Sunday marked a week already
-
The PG has 30 days to appeal; the court has not yet explained why the documents are being delayed
While former president Ibrahim Mohammed Solih commuted the sentence of the only person convicted in the case, who also happens to be a minor, the family of the child has expressed concern over the acquittal of all the other accused after six years of the case having dragged on.
