Humaam denies killing Dr. Afrasheem

Hussain Humaam Ahmed of H. Lobby has denied the killing religious of scholar, former Ungoofaaru MP Dr. Afrasheem Ali, in his confession in court today.

Humaam told the court today that his earlier confession to killing Dr. Afrasheem Ali was coerced and that the police had forced him to confess by threatening him that they will re-open investigations on previous cases that incriminates him.

However, on his previous hearing on the 22nd of May, Humaam had confessed to the court that he killed Dr. Afrasheem Ali. He had provided detailed the accounts of the murder to the court that day.

On May 22nd, when asked why he denied the murder charge earlier, Humaam said that he did so because his family might otherwise be exposed to certain difficulties.

The State attorney had told the court on the 22nd that Dr. Afrasheem’s DNA was found on Humaam’s person and jeans.

At the start of today’s hearing, Humaam told the court that he wishes to continue the trial with the aid of his lawyer. As a reasons, he stated that it was because he “did not do it.”

“Judge, I need my lawyer. I want to continue this case with my lawyer. Because I did not do it,” Humaam said.

The judge then allowed Abdulla Haseen, Humaam’s lawyer, to enter the courtroom.

Abdulla Haseen then requested that the court proceed with the case after having conducted a proper psychological evaluation of Humaam.

Skeptical of the request, the judge said that Haseen had the chance to raise the issue and make the same request earlier, as Haseen had represented Humaam in court while he was brought before the court to extend his period of detention. The Judge said that he would continue and allow the court to hear confessions of the two witnesses presented by the State today.

“Lawyer has not expressed such a statement earlier, even during the (extension of detention) period hearings. Humaam had earlier asked me to continue to trial without any person (legal representation). The court will hear the confessions of the two witnesses presented to the court by the State today,” the Judge said at today’s hearing.

The first witness presented to the court by the State said that Humaam had told the person last October that “there was a mission” for him, that “everything has been prepared for the mission” and to “meet him at Usfasgandu.”

The witness told the court that he had followed Humaam’s instructions and gone to meet him at Usfasgandu on the evening of the 1st of October last year and at that meeting, he met with the second primary person accused for the murder, Ali Shaan of H. Hicoast, Male’. The witness said that they had then moved to Petpark and that Shaan was in possession of knife during that time.

The witness continue to detail the accounts of that day and said that after waiting in Petpark for a while, the three people then moved to H. Funvilu, Dr. Afrasheem’s resident located across Children’s Park. He said that about five minutes after Humaam entered H. Funvilu, “the person (Dr. Afrasheem Ali)” also entered the house and that Shaan had also then gone into the house.

“Three people went to H. Funviluge together. About five minutes after Humaam entered the house, the person (Dr. Afrasheem Ali) entered the house. Shaan went in next,” the witness told the court today.

The witness said after Humaan and Shaan entered the house, he had seen a man lying inside (near the staircase) of the house and he had come to know the identity of the person much later. He said that the fallen man was bleeding from the neck and that he saw that the knife in Shaan’s had also had blood on it, and a that Humaam also held a machete that had blood.

He said on the next occasion he met Shaan, he had told him that “Humaam has been taken” and had advised him to be more careful.

Humaam’s lawyer Abdulla Haseen also questioned the State witness today.

Haseen had asked the of the extent of his involvement in the actions of Humaam and Shaan and the witness replied that he took not part in what they did.

The State had then presented the medical doctor who examined Dr. Afrasheem’s body as the next witness.

The doctor said that Dr. Afrasheem Ali was already dead when his body arrived at the hospital and that he had sustained a wound half an inch deep to the left side of his skull.

Humaam’s lawyer Abdulla Haseen also made his own statement in court today after saying that there have been false allegations circulating in the media relating to him.

Stating that what he says is in the sight of God almighty, Haseen said that he has not advised Humaam to deny the charges and that all he had told Humaam to do was not to admit to something that he had not done.