Luthfee brought back to Maldives

Abdulla Luthfee, the conspirator behind the coup d'état of November 3, 1988, was brought to Maldives on late Tuesday.

He arrived with Police from an EK flight at 2130 hrs.

Local media Mihaaru reported that Luthfee is set to be taken first to Police station.

After completing all the necessary documents by Police, he is to be handed over to Maldives Correctional Services.

During the presidency of Mohamed Nasheed upon being allowed to go abroad for medical treatmentLuthfee absconded. He had been reportedly living in hiding in Sri Lanka ever since.

Following the series of bomb blasts all over the country, Sri Lankan authorities heightened security measures due to which Luthfee turned himself in. Foreigners living in Lanka were requested to register at the closest police station and illegal immigrants were deported, leaving Luthfee with no other choice but to seek protection at the embassy. He turned himself in on May 1, after 8 years of living illegally in Sri Lanka.

Mihaaru also reported that it is believed that he will serve the rest of his sentence in Maafushi Prison.

Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdulla revealed that the state had to spend USD 2,500 on extracting Luthfee as his residence in Lanka was illegal

Luthfee was the leader behind the attempt to unlawfully overthrow the government by taking over the National Security Service (NSS) with the help of armed militants from Sri Lanka's People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE). The attack resulted in the death of 11 Maldivian civilians and eight military personnel.

Luthfee and his partner, Sagar Ahmed Nasir, were initially sentenced to capital punishment for their crimes. However, the then-President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom reduced their sentences to life imprisonment which, as per the Maldivian constitution, consists of 25 years.

According to the Maldivian constitution, life imprisonment consists of 25 years. If Luthfee had not fled, his sentence would have ended in 2014.

Meanwhile, Sagar Ahmed Nasir was freed after he completed his jail sentence.