Attorney says court not right in sentencing Murrath to death

Defense attorney for Ahmed Murrath (M. Masroora, Male’) said on Tuesday that the Criminal Court ruling to sentence his client to death for murder of attorney Ahmed Najeeb, and High

Court upholding the death sentence was not right.

Popular attorney and author Ahmed Najeeb was murdered on July 1, 2012.

Murrath was sentenced to death for the murder on July 19, 2012.

High Court ruled to uphold the death sentence on May 31, 2015.

Speaking during the hearing held on Tuesday after Prosecutor General filed the case with Supreme Court to ensure that the death sentence is valid, Murrath’s attorney said that the Criminal Court trial was conducted unlawfully.

He said that state prosecutors had not made the charge against his client clear, and had spoken in court in such a way that it created confusion as to what the actual charge is.

He said that it was a violation of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which Maldives has signed.

The attorney also said that court had overlooked some evidence when it made their decision, such as statement given by Murrath’s mother to police that she had seen an individual wearing a short-sleeved yellow t-shirt in the house before the police came.

He said that the claim had not been investigated by police.

He said that all this meant that the death sentence against Murrath was not valid or just.

In response to the points made by defense attorney, the state prosecutor said that they made stated the charge against Murrath clearly in court. But that they did not believe it necessary to make the punishment that comes with the charge clear to Murrath in court.

He said that it was not the job of the prosecution to decide the punishment a defendant would get if found guilty of the charge.

Tuesday’s hearing ended with no date given for the next hearing.

The case is being presided over by the five Supreme Court judges.

Both Murrath and his live-in girlfriend – who is now his wife – Hana – have been sentenced to death in the murder.

Murrath confessed to the murder in court, saying that they put Najeeb down on an office chair in the apartment that he and Hana lived in when Najeeb arrived, and taped his feet, hands and mouth.

Murrath said that he got annoyed Najeeb was making so much noise, and stabbed him in the neck with a four-inch knife with a black handle – killing him.

Murrath and Hana later married while in prison.