Abdulla Luthfee, the chief architect of an armed coup attempt with Tamil mercenaries to topple the government of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on November 3, 1988, has completed serving his 25-year prison sentence.
A reliable source confirmed to Adhadhu that Luthfee is now serving a sentence of seven months and seven days for his escape after he was allowed to travel overseas for medical treatment.
Luthfee has now completed serving all the sentences handed down over the coup attempt that killed 19 Maldivians.
The high court at first sentenced Luthfee to death over the attack on November 3 with mercenaries from the People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Elam (PLOTE). But former president Gayoom later commuted his sentence to life imprisonment (25 years).
Since flying to Sri Lanka on January 16, 2010 with a one-year travel document granted by the home ministry to seek medical treatment overseas at his own expense, Luthfee lived out of the Maldives as a fugitive.
The criminal court ordered the police and the correctional service in March 2012 to arrest Luthfee to serve his sentence. The police later issued a red notice through Interpol for Luthfee's arrest.
After living as a fugitive for nine years, six months and three days, Luthfee was brought back to the country after he turned himself in to the Maldives embassy in Colombo on May 1, 2019 amid a military operation in the wake of the Easter bombing in Sri Lanka, revealing that he had been living in the country.
Luthfee was brought back in collaboration with Sri Lankan authorities on July 9, 2019 and charged with escaping from a custodial center. A sentence of seven months and seven days was handed down on March 10, 2021 after he pleaded guilty.
Luthfee also carried a gun and fought with the Tamil tigers in Male'. He entered the homes of some cabinet ministers to search for them.
After the attack was foiled, he was arrested at sea with the help of the Indian military while trying to escape with Maldivian hostages after hijacking a ship called 'MV Progress Light.'
Eight soldiers and 11 civilians were martyred in the attack led by Luthfee to overthrow the government.
Luthfee's accomplice 'Sagaru' Ahmed Nasir was also sentenced to 25 years in prison. He has been free for several years now after he completed serving the sentence.
