Secret witness in Yameen's murder among those charged in the case: Lawyers

The secret witness who testified in the murder trial of blogger Yameen Rasheed was previously a suspect in the case and was also charged by prosecutors, but this information was not revealed, defence lawyers told High Court today.

The state charged Ismail Haisham Rasheed, Ahmed Zihaan Ismail, Mohamed Dhifraan, Hassan Shifaaz, Thaif Ismail Rasheed and Hussain Ziyad of murdering Yameen back in April 2017. Among these individuals, Haisham and Zihaan were convicted by the Criminal Court in 2022 and were sentenced to life in prison while the others were acquitted of all charges.

Haisham and Zihaan appealed the ruling at High Court, and the case was heard today, in which the pair's lawyers told the court that the secret witness in the case was previously arrested and charged in the case. However, the individual's charges were later dropped, but this information was kept a secret by prosecutors and the court, the lawyers claimed, adding that this raises questions about the process.

The lawyers pointed out that the witness testified to have overheard the accused individuals in a mosque discussing plans to murder Yameen and later in a shop after the murder. However, the lawyers argued, that it is questionable how the witness would have heard these conversations if they did not participate in the murder. They also noted that the witness repeatedly refused to answer when asked about this.

Additionally, they told the court that a secret witness, after testifying, had then sent a letter to the Criminal Court expressing their wishes to take back their statement. However, this too was not shared with the defence lawyers, they claimed.

Another question raised by the lawyers was that Police had failed to scientifically justify how they were able to determine that those seen in the video are those charged of the crime.

Noting that while the murder is saddening, they went on to say that it is against the Islamic Shariah and the law to lower the standard of choosing witnesses.

Today's hearing in the case was adjourned following an announcement that another hearing would be held at a later date.

The case is being reviewed at the High Court by Judge Hassan Shafeeu, Judge Fathimath Faruheeza and Judge Abdul Maaniu Hussain, with Judge Shafeeu as presiding judge.

While Haisham and Zihaan continue with their appeal, the state has also appealed Ismail Rasheed and Dhifraan's acquittal at the High Court as a separate case.