Tag: murder

Require a system to take witness testimonies quicker: Police Commissioner

Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz has said authorities require a mechanism to take witness testimonies before they can be intimidated or influenced.

Local media reported that Riyaz expressed “concern” over the way all suspects in the murder case of Ali  Shifan had been acquitted.

The Police Commission claimed that many witnesses were too afraid to testify in high profile cases, adding that there needs to be mechanism to process witness statements quicker.

“Such things happen. This is something we must accept. In other countries there are various mechanisms in place to ensure witness protection.

“We already have such a law. There is a witness protection Act. We have been informed that a draft of such an Act is already at the Parliament. I hope it becomes a law soon,” Riyaz was quoted as saying in local media.

According to Riyaz witnesses change their statements in court because their influenced financially and through intimidation.

Last week, the Criminal Court ruled that all six suspects arrested in connection with the stabbing murder of Ali Shifan are innocent and ordered their release.

The judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to convict, reported local media, despite the DNA of the victim being found under the fingernail of one of the suspects.

The judge said that although the state had produced five witnesses to the court, their statements to police were contradictory.

The judge cited a Supreme Court ruling stating that when dealing with murder cases, a suspect could only be convicted if there was enough evidence to believe he was guilty beyond any doubt, and said the state was not able to convince the court that they were guilty.

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Minor arrested in connection with Dr Afrasheem’s murder charged with giving false statement

The state has pressed charges against a minor arrested in connection with the murder of Dr Afrasheem Ali, who was murdered in October last year.

The state told the court the minor had given a false statement to police when he was summoned to police during the investigation of Dr Afrasheem’s murder, and that the minor had also given false statement to the Juvenile Court.

The minor told the court that he would respond to the charges in the presence a lawyer during the next hearing, according to local media.

Spokesperson for the Juvenile Court Zaeema Nasheed did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

Dr Afrasheem was a well-known religious scholar and the MP for Ungoofaaru constituency. He was stabbed to death on the night of October 1, on the staircase of his home.

Two men were arrested as main suspects involved in the case. The two suspects were identified by police as Hussein Humam of Henveiru Lobby and Ali Shan and of Henveiru Hikost.

The trial of Humam is currently ongoing in the Criminal Court, while Shan’s case has yet to start.

A Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) officer and Abdulla ‘Jaa’ Javid – son-in-law of opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik – were also previously detained by police over their alleged involvement in the case.  Both were later released by the court.

Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz has previously alleged that the murder of the MP was “well planned”and worth MVR 4 million (US$260,000).

In his last words, aired on the show, Afrasheem said he was deeply saddened and asked for forgiveness from citizens if he had created a misconception in their minds due to his inability to express himself in the right manner.

Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Shaheem Ali Saeed was quoted in local media as saying that the Islamic Ministry had not forced Afrasheem to offer a public apology for anything during his last television appearance ,and disputed that there was any religious motivation in the death of the moderate scholar.

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Criminal Court acquits six suspects in Shifan’s murder case, despite DNA evidence

The Criminal Court has ruled that all six suspects arrested in connection with the stabbing murder of Ali Shifan are innocent and ordered their release.

The judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to convict, reported local media, despite the DNA of the victim being found under the fingernail of one of the suspects.

The six suspects were identified by the police as Ali Nabeeh, 22, of M.Nalahiyaa Manzil, Mohamed Shaifan, 18, of Male’ Dhaftharu no 3912,  Razzan Abdu Rahman, 19, of Kaanimaage house in Thulhaadhoo island of Baa Atoll,  Abdul Thilmeez, 20, of M.Thilmeez,  Mohamed Asif, 19, of Maafahi house inKurendhoo island of Lhaviyani Atoll and Mohamed Mishaan Abdul Haadhy, 20, of M.Silver Nest.

The judge said that although the state had produced five witnesses to the court, their statements to police were contradictory.

The court also acknowledged that Ali Shifan’s DNA was found under Shaifan’s fingernail, and accepted that this was “strong forensic evidence”.

However, the judge cited a Supreme Court ruling stating that when dealing with murder cases, a suspect could only be convicted if there was enough evidence to believe he was guilty beyond any doubt, and said the state was not able to convince the court that they were guilty.

Shifan was attacked around 4:15pm on April 1, 2012, outside the Westpark restaurant on Boduthakurufaanu Magu, the outer ring road of Male’.

He was stabbed multiple times in the back and arms by a group of men on some motorbikes as he stepped out of a restaurant to meet a friend, police said.

Shifan had no previous records of any gang involvement, police said, adding that it was unclear as to why he was targeted by the gang.

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51 year-old man dies in hospital after axe attack

A 51 year-old man has died in hospital after he was attacked with an axe while sleeping in a house on Gan in Laamu Atoll on Tuesday night.

Mohamed Hassan failed to survive the injuries he received during the attack and died on Wednesday evening.

IGMH Spokesperson Zeenath Ali Habeeb told local media that the man died last night at 11:25 am while being treated in the intensive care unit.

Mohamed Hassan was hit on the right side of his head which caused serious injuries to his skull, and his condition was too critical to transfer him abroad for further treatment.

The Laamu Gan Regional Hospital Manager told local media that the victim’s nose and ears were bleeding continuously when he was admitted to hospital.

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef told Minivan News that police have arrested one person in connection with the case. Haneef said that the victim was hit in the head with a sharp object.

‘’The investigation is ongoing and has become more serious now because the victim has died,’’ he said.

According to a source from the island, the man who was attacked was having an affair with a woman living in the house he was sleeping in.

The source said one of the woman’s sons was arrested in connection with the case.

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Murder victim’s parents approve death penalty

The Criminal Court has taken statements from the parents of Abdul Muheeth of Veyru in Galolhu Ward who was murdered by a gang on February 10, 2012.

According to local media present in the court today, Muheeth’s father and mother declared they approved death sentences for the suspects if the court was to find them guilty of murdering their son.

The Prosecutor General has charged three men in connection with the murder of Muheeth, identified by police as Mohamed Maimoon of Naifaru in Lhaviyani Atoll, Ali Mushaffau of Maradhoo in Addu City and Muhujathu Ahmed Nasir of Gadhoo in Faadu Dhaalu Atoll.

In December 30, the Juvenile Court finished taking statements from the heirs of Abdul Muheeth, where all approved passing the death sentence against the trial’s defendants should they be found guilty.

In March, Police Inspector Abdulla Satheeh said Muheeth was mistakenly killed by a gang and that he was not the intended target.

Police previously announced that Muheeth was not a member of any gangs, adding that he had also held a responsible job at the time of his death.

Article 88[d] of the Maldives Penal Code states that murders should be dealt with according to Islamic Sharia and that persons found guilty of murder “shall be executed” if no heir of the victim objects, according to Islamic Sharia.

Although the Maldives Penal Code allows for the death sentence, it has traditionally been commuted to 25 years in prison.

However the Attorney General has drafted a bill proposing changes to the law outlining the execution of the death sentence, which would put it into practice.

According to the bill persons found guilty of crimes subject to death penalty will be executed using lethal injection.

The last person to be judicially executed in the Maldives was Hakim Didi, who was executed by firing squad in 1953 after being found guilty of conspiracy to murder using black magic.

Statistics show that from January 2001 to December 2010, a total of 14 people were sentenced to death by Maldivian courts.

However in all cases the acting president has commuted these verdicts to life sentences.

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All murderers involved in 2012 murder cases found: police

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) have claimed that all murderers involved in cases last year have been found, local media reported.

In a promotional video uploaded on YouTube, police claimed that murderers who killed MP Dr Afrasheem Ali, lawyer Ahmed Najeeb, Police Lance Corporal Adam Haleem and Ayyube in Kudahuvadhoo in Dhaalu Atoll had all been found.

Local media reported that trials against some of the murder suspects are still ongoing in court, whilst others have been convicted and sentenced to death.

Cases related to theft increased last year and the seizure of drugs by MPS had reached a record high, police claimed.

Other figures from the video, as reported by local media, stated that 29 brothels have been closed down, while cases related to domestic violence against women and children sent for prosecution had increased and organised crime had been “controlled”.

In an effort to reduce crime, the Crime Prevention Department will now operate under the Public Affairs Department, local media reported.

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Criminal Court concludes hearings into terrorism charges against Shahum

The Criminal Court has concluded hearings into terrorism charges against Ibrahim Shahum Adam of Galolhu Couzy.

Spokesperson for the Criminal Court, Ahmed Mohamed Manik, said the court will deliver a verdict in the case on  February 24.

Shahum was charged with terrorism after he allegedly attacked a group of men with a sharp weapon in March 2010, March, near Maaziya football stadium in Maafannu Ward. He also stands accused of murder is a separate case.

One of the victims of in the Maafannu attack died the following day. He was identified by the police at the time as 17 year-old Mohamed Hassan.

The victim was admitted to Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital and was treated for more than eight hours in the intensive care unit, but the knife had severed a major artery and despite an emergency blood transfusion he died the following morning at 6:15am. He was was buried that afternoon at Aasahara cemetery.

A person familiar with the matter told Minivan News at the time that the boy was stabbed while climbing on to the back of a lorry after watching a football match held in the Maaziya football ground.

“He was with his friends on a lorry and about to leave when they were attacked by a group of people armed with stones and sticks,” the source said. “After a while they came close and stabbed him with a knife. Two other boys were also stabbed, one in the chest and another in the leg.’’

Shahum was previously sentenced to a year in prison for attacking a fellow student in an Imam course.

The Criminal Court has almost concluded the second trial against Shahum, concerning his alleged murder of 21 year-old Ahusan Basheer in 2011.

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Criminal Court extends detention of second suspect in Afrasheem murder case

The Criminal Court yesterday extended the detention period of Ahmed Shan, the second main suspect arrested in connection with the death of late MP and well-known religious scholar Dr Afrasheem Ali.

The Criminal Court told local media that Shan, of Henveiru Hikost House, was summoned to the Criminal Court yesterday and his pretrial detention period was extended another 15 days.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court recently started the trial of Hussain Human, the main suspect arrested in connection with the case.

During the first hearing the state attorney read out the charges against Humam, who pleaded not guilty and requested the court grant him the opportunity to appoint a lawyer.

Attorneys representing the state told the Criminal Court that on 1 October 2012, Humam and a group of people attacked and murdered Dr Afrasheem Ali.

The mobile phone of Criminal Court Spokesperson Mohamed Manik was switched off and he was unavailable for comment at time of press.

MP Afrasheem was brutally stabbed to death on the night of October 1, on the staircase of his home.

Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz has previously alleged the murder of the MP was well planned and worth MVR 4 million (US$260,000).

In a presentation shown to a press conference last year, Riyaz claimed that 11 suspects were initially arrested, of which three had since been released. He added that about 200 items had been analysed as evidence, including forensic and digital evidence, which he claimed were enough to prosecute the prime suspects.

“Over 500 hours of CCTV footage have been analysed, more than a hundred people have been interviewed and about 13,000 phone call recordings have been analysed out of which 12,000 were from one single tower,” Riyaz said.

The commissioner claimed Afrasheem was last seen alive inside the premises of the state broadcaster, Television Maldives (TVM). The presentation suggested that Afrasheem was seen leaving the premises in his car around 11:04pm, according to nearby CCTV camera footage.

Afrasheem left the station after participating in a religious TV program called “Islamee Dhiriulhun” (Islamic Life), with Deputy Minister of Islamic Affairs Mohamed Qubad Aboobakuru.

In his last words, aired on the show, Afrasheem said he was deeply saddened and asked for forgiveness from citizens if he had created a misconception in their minds due to his inability to express himself in the right manner.

Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Shaheem Ali Saeed was quoted in local media as saying that the Islamic Ministry had not forced Afrasheem to offer a public apology for anything during his last television appearance and disputed that there was any religious motivation in the death of the moderate scholar.

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Abdulla ‘Jaa’ Javid released from custody, brother detained by police

Abdulla ‘Jaa’ Javid has been released from custody following his 45-day detention in connection with the murder of MP Dr Afrasheem Ali last year.

On the day of his release (January 17) however, Javid’s brother Shahin Mohamed was taken away by police whilst waiting with Javid’s family outside of the court.

Chairperson of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik – Javid’s father-in-law – told Minivan News on Thursday that the police “took away” Mohamed without any warning.

“He was waiting for his brother to come out of court and the police came along and took him away. He was waiting silently and they took him without giving a reason,” Manik claimed.

Regarding Mohamed being held by police, Maldives Police Service (MPS) Spokesperson Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef said that police would not be releasing any information of the Afrasheem murder case due to the “sensitivity” of the investigation.

Minivan News has since learned that Mohamed was released from police custody three hours after he was taken away by police.

Local media reported that Javid was released after he was brought to court to extend his detention period following the expiry of his previous term.

Javid’s lawyer, according to Manik, said the judge stated there was “no way” Javid could be kept in custody any longer.

“If they had any evidence they would have kept him there,” Manik added.

Former Deputy Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem said that Javid’s 45-day detention was “unreasonable” given that two people had already been charged of the crime.

“As for the arrest it is a constitutional right of the accused – and detained – for his case to be processed through the criminal justice system within a ‘reasonable time’,” Shameem added.

Javid had previously attempted to file a case to High Court claiming that the extension of detention order issued against him by the Criminal Court was unlawful.

However, the High Court ruled that there was no reasonable ground to support this adding that police claimed to have a phone call recording that supported their accusations of Javid’s involvement in the murder.

In December last year the MDP accused the police of attempting to pin Afrasheem’s murder of MDP members instead of going after those guilty of the crime, a statement seen by local media has read.

The party further reportedly stated that police had detained two of its members Mariyam Naifa and Alli ‘Smith’ Hashim for an extended period of time before releasing them without any charges.

Minivan News is awaiting for additional information from Director Department of Judicial Administration Ahmed Maajid regarding the release of Javid.

‘A desperate plea to help free my husband’

In a letter obtained by Minivan News, Javid’s wife Mida Moosa pleaded for the release of her husband claiming that the family were “very confused” regarding the information they had received about his detention.

The letter claims that Javid’s arrest took place hours before parliament was scheduled to finalise a decision on whether the proposed no-confidence vote against President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik should be held via secret votes.

Upon Javid’s initial extension of custodial detention, the letter alleges that Javid was kept in solitary confinement and that this matter was taken to the High Court.

“At the High Court hearing on December 13, MPS stated that Javid was kept in solitary confinement most likely because of an error made by the prison he was kept in,” the letter claims.

After the first 14 days of Javid’s detention the letter notes that he was brought back to court and on December 19 he was given another 15 day extension on his detention.

According to the letter, the prosecutors had brought a request form to court by the MPS stating that Javid was being kept in prison “for his own safety and to interrogate him on some evidence they had regarding the case.”

Afrasheem’s murder

Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz has claimed that the murder of MP for Ungoofaaru constituency Dr Afrasheem Ali was a well-planned murder and insisted it was politically motivated.

The Commissioner alleged that the assassins were offered MVR 4 million (US$260,000) and that 200 items were collected as forensic and digital evidence.

“Over 500 hours of CCTV footage have been analysed, more than 100 people have been interviewed and about 13,000 phone call recordings have been analysed out of which 12,000 were from one single tower,” Riyaz said.

Afrasheem was killed on October 1. His wife discovered the body lying on the staircase of their home.

Dr Afrasheem was elected to parliament in 2009 as a member of the then-opposition Dhivehi Rayithunge Party (DRP).

Following the opposition’s split, Afrasheem sided with the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, and faded into the political background.

Widely considered an Islamic moderate, Dr Afrasheem took outspoken and controversial positions on issues such as allowing the playing of music, and praying next to the deceased.

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