Criminal Court commenced Wednesday the murder trials over Ali Abdulla, who was found killed in Addu atoll last May, behind closed doors.
The local businessman had gone missing and was eventually found strangled in a yam field in Hithadhoo island. His nephew Ahmed Ibrahim Didi has been charged with first degree murder.
While the Criminal Court has begun the first hearing of the murder trial on Wednesday, the reason to proceed behind closed doors remains unclear.
The Constitution grants judges presiding over cases the authority to close ongoing trials to the public.
According to the police, Ali was murdered over his wealth and assets. Police had forwarded charges against three other individuals in relation to the murder to the Prosecutor General’s Office though they have yet to be prosecuted.