Sunday's hearing in the trial over the fatal stabbing of Bangladeshi Mohamed Shaheen on a fishing boat ended without defendant Mohamed Masood entering a plea on the murder charge.
Shaheen, a crew member of the Jihad boat from Dhaalu Meedhoo island, died while undergoing treatment for stab wounds. The incident occurred around 3:45 am on 7 March 2021 while the boat was en route to the Kaafu Guraidhoo island fish buoy.
Fellow Bangladeshi Masood, who worked with Shaheen on the boat, was charged on 5 May 2021. Masood was charged with premeditated murder and detained at the Maafushi jail for the duration of his trial.
Only one hearing was held since then over the past two years. A hearing was held this month and newly-appointed judge Ibrahim Ihusan took over the case.
The hearing scheduled for 11 am Sunday morning began about 30 minutes late because the public defender assigned by the state for Masood was late in arriving. As the hearing started, the judge first raised questions about the lateness.
Ahmed Shifau, the lawyer assigned for Masood by the attorney general's office, said that it has been some time since Masood had found a lawyer on his own. Shifau said he was unprepared because he assumed the new lawyer would attend the hearing.
But the judge said the court's administration considers Shifau to be Masood's lawyer as a new lawyer has not submitted the form for legal representation. When he was called, the lawyer also told the court that Shifau would attend hearings, the judge noted.
When the issue was clarified with Masood, the defendant said he wished to proceed with his own lawyer. He said he would urge the lawyer to submit the form as soon as possible.
Judge Ihusan said that the state only assigns a lawyer in circumstances where the defendants lack the financial capacity to hire a lawyer and that since Masood has said that he wishes to appoint a lawyer, the court considers that he has the capacity to do so.
The public defender assigned by the state would therefore not have to represent the defendant hereafter, the judge said. The judge also instructed the public defender to inform the attorney general's office of his removal.
The trial remained stalled for the past two years because there were no judges in the section where the case had been lodged, the judge further clarified. The public defender was not to blame for the delay, the judge said.
According to the prosecution's case, Masood attacked Shaheen using a black-handled knife with a six-inch blade. Shaheen was stabbed in his right ribcage. The motive for the attack has yet to be determined.
The incident occurred after an argument between the pair over a rope that was thrown ashore grew heated. During his interrogation, Masood claimed to have acted by mistake.
