Adhuham Mohammed has been sentenced to death for the intentional homicide of taxi driver Gasim Hassan. The Criminal Court in the Maldives convicted Adhuham last month, and Gasim’s heirs requested the death penalty.
The attack occurred on December 4, 2019, in Hulhumale’, near the Halfway House. Gasim Hassan, 59, was treated for his injuries but died later that night. Adhuham was arrested two weeks later, on December 19.
Adhuham initially admitted to attacking Gasim during the Criminal Court hearing as part of a plea agreement with the Prosecutor General’s Office. He later retracted his confession, claiming that he had been tortured by the police.
Adhuham has since confessed to the crime again, but he denied having any intention of committing the murder, stating that he was high on drugs at the time.
However, the Criminal Court Judge Ali Nadheem found Adhuham guilty of intentional homicide using a sharp object, stating that he knew the consequences of his actions.
Although capital punishment is a legal penalty in the Maldives, the last execution was in 1952. If someone is sentenced to death, the sentence is typically commuted to life imprisonment.