All six suspects acquitted in Ali Shifan murder case

Criminal Court has found all six people charged with the murder of Ali Shifan of M. Fairy Corner not guilty.

The court said in its ruling today that the State presented five witnesses, and that there were serious discrepancies between the statements provided by them during the investigation and in court.

The State had pressed charges against Mohamed Mishan Abdul Haadhee of M. Silvernet, Mohamed Asif of Maafahi in Lhaviyani Kurendhoo, Mohamed Shaifan of Male’ Dhaftharu 2193, Ali Nabeeh of M. Nalahiya Manzil, Razzan Abdul Rahman of Kaanimaage in Baa Thulhaadhoo, and Abdullah Thilmeez of M. Dhinmana.

The court said that since the case in question was a murder case, the witness statements must be considered in light of the principles of Islamic Sharia.

The court further said that the DNA of the sample taken from underneath Shaifan’s fingernails matched the DNA of the victim, which is strong evidence against Shaifan; however, this piece of evidence alone is not sufficient to prove a murder case.