The Criminal Court has concluded the trial hearings for blogger Yameen Rasheed's murder case.
Yameen was attacked and killed with sharp objects in the stairwell of his home in April 2017. The prosecution charged Ismail Haisham Rasheed (H. Annaarumaage), Ahmed Zihan Ismail (Hulhumalé 11399), Mohamed Dhifran (GDh. Gadhdhoo, Sindhubaadhooge), Hassan Shifaz (M. Kudheheege), Ismail Rasheed (M. Thaif) and Hussain Ziyad (M. Kolhufushi East) in connection with the case.
The crime was proven against Haisham and Zihan in January 2022 in Criminal Court. Even though they were sentenced to life in prison, the crime could not be proven against the others, with them being acquitted. The High Court later ordered the case be reviewed once more after the case was appealed. Ismail Rasheed and Mohamed Dhifran's acquittals were appealed at High Court by the prosecution, with the prosecution appealing Haisham and Zihan's prison sentences at High Court. The High Court ordered their cases be reviewed as well.
And so, the Criminal Court's trial today regarding the review of the cases were Ismail and Dhifran's cases.
During today's hearing, the prosecution stated that on the night Yameen Rasheed was attacked, witness testimonies place Ismail Rasheed outside Yameen Rasheed's house on a motorcycle. Witness testimonies also confirm that Ismail Rasheed acted as a getaway driver for one of the attackers after they came out of the house. The prosecution said this amounts to aiding a criminal.
The prosecution also said witness testimonies solidified Ismail Rasheed's involvement in the conspiracy that led up to the murder.
According to the prosecution, witness testimonies confirm Dhifran's involvement in surveilling Yameen Rasheed. They said the day after Yameen Rasheed was killed, video footage shows Dhifran and another individual being active near the scene of the crime.
Because of this, the prosecution requested a guilty verdict.
Ismail and Dhifran's lawyer said the secret witnesses against the two gave their testimonies on the basis of belief. The lawyer also said the testimonies were given under a "witness leading" circumstance after they were told certain pieces of information. However, the lawyer highlighted the defense was against many of their questions being answered based upon secret evidence.
As per the lawyer, when looking at the most important testimony from a secret witness, it is clear from the witness testimony they were someone who was going to testify against the defendant. The lawyer said the secret witnesses testimony shows that there is doubt whether they can be someone who can act as a witness with a true testimony.
The lawyer stated the snapshots from the many videos that were submitted to the case were quite unclear, to the point where identification is not possible. The lawyer continued, saying that the police officer who prepared the video analysis report did not answer any question at court whether the people in the video could be completely different people.
The lawyer highlighted the Criminal Court's previous ruling where the police were careless in acquiring and analyzing the multiple pieces of video footage, and that if the charges are proven based upon such evidence, there are no charges in Maldives that cannot be proven in Maldives.
With that, the lawyer requested a verdict of not guilty.
Haisham and Zihan's hearings in the case have been concluded previously as well. The judge's bench announced the next course of action will be sentencing all four of the convicted individuals.
The bench consists of presiding Judge Ihsan, Judge Mohamed Misbah, and Judge Ali Nadeem.
