I assisted in the murder, but I did not kill Najeeb: Hana

Fathimath Hana, accused for the murder of famous writer and lawyer Ahmed Najeeb, has said that she did not confess to the murder of Najeeb, but told the court that she had assisted in the murder.

Fathimath Hana of Rihab, Shaviyani Goyedhoo, made her statement in High Court today during the appeal hearing of her death sentence for the murder of lawyer Ahmed Najeeb.

Presenting her case to the court, Hana said that she was asleep when her partner, Ahmed Murrath, of M. Masroora committed the murder, and that statements from both herself and her partner shows no proof of her killing Najeeb.

“Hana confessed to being part of murdering the victim. So there is no room to declare the sentence of intentionally murdering a person, upon Hana,” Hana said, speaking in second person.

She said that she had indeed taken part in tying the victim to the chair placed inside a room in her partner’s house, and that her intention was to mug him and frighten him, but had no intention of killing him.

“The confession in Criminal Court by Hana and Murrath, of taking part in tying the victim to the chair, the confession shows that Hana did not do it with the intention to kill him. The intention (to kill) is not apparent through any of Hana’s actions,” said Hana.

She had asked the High Court to overrule her death sentence today, saying that the Criminal Court sentence was against the law.

In reply to Hana’s statements, Assistant Public Prosecutor Adam Arif told the court while Hana had assisted in trying Najeeb to the chair and putting tape on his mouth, his partner Murrath held a knife in his hand as a means to threaten Najeeb.

The Assistant Public Prosecutor said that Hana was aware that the knife was inside the room, that the knife was brought to the room following plans to kill Najeeb and that Najeeb had died as a result of injuries sustained from the knife.

The Lawyer from the Prosecutor General’s office had asked the court to uphold Criminal Court’s statement, after showing numerous examples of Hadiths from Prophet Mohamed and also from the Holy Quran.

The bench of High Court judges presiding over Hana’s trial had repeatedly asked her if she wants the state to appoint a lawyer on behalf. She rejected the offer.

The bench had adjourned today’s hearing after granting Hana the opportunity to appoint her own lawyer.