Another judge to review Lamha’s remand as Judge Faiz on suspension

Criminal Court has again scheduled the review of a prime suspect in a high-profile murder case, Halimath Lamha Abdul Rahman’s remand, with another judge set to preside over the matter, as Judge Hussain Faiz Mohamed, who refused to remand Lamha in custody, is on suspension.

Lamha is implicated in the murder of Mary Grace Oned Pineda, a Filipino nurse at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).

While Judge Faiz is on two-month suspension, Criminal Court has scheduled the review of Lamha’s remand for Tuesday, with another judge set to preside over the matter.

Lamha, who was remanded in custody pending the outcome of her trial, has previously been granted conditional release twice. The prosecution successfully appealed to the High Court to have Lamha re-detained.

Judge Faiz, who refused to order Lamha’s remand, was suspended for 60 days back in October.

A reliable source told Sun that the display issues Faiz is under investigation by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) include refusal to order Lamha’s remand despite instructions to do so by the higher court.

However, JSC has not provided any details in this regard on Faiz’s suspension.

Judge Faiz, while denying to order Lamha’s remand, said she can only be re-detained following an assessment to identify whether she is a threat to society. The judge noted that the prosecution, despite being instructed to conduct the assessment, had failed to do so, even by the last hearing.

Back then, the prosecution said the assessment had not been conducted due to lack of specific procedures or policies on conducting such assessments in remand cases.

Mary’s husband Marvin S. Y. Vargas, 30, had taken Mary’s body to IGMH in an ambulance on October 19, mere minutes after she had gone to home for her break from work. He initially claimed her death as a suicide by hanging, and later changed his story and said she had suddenly collapsed. 

Police found the death suspicious and opened an investigation into the case. 

Marvin was arrested on October 27, 2021. And Lamha was arrested on December 16, 2021.

An autopsy on Mary showed she died from injuries to her neck and head. Examiners also found traces succinylcholine - a medication used to cause short-term paralysis as part of general anesthesia - in her blood.

Investigators found a used succinylcholine injection, along with two other restricted injections from Lamha’s apartment.

Marvin faces a life sentence if found guilty, while Lamha faces at least six years in prison.