Ahuzam Abdul Shakoor and Hassan Fawaz have denied the charges raised against them in connection with the murder of Naeema Moosa from Manadhoo island of Noonu atoll.

A hearing was held at the Criminal Court on Thursday for all three accused in the case; Ahuzam, Fawaz and Abdul Wahid Rifas.

The hearings for all three accused are being held in separate parts.

During Thursday’s hearing, charges raised against Fawaz were heard, Fawaz is accused of plotting the murder.

Three charges were issued by the state including deliberate murder with a sharp weapon, obstruction of law enforcement and abuse of the corpse.

Fawaz denied the charges raised against him, with his attorney asserting that his client did nothing to plan and assist in the murder of Naeema and did not help conceal the evidence either.

The defence argued that they can only produce evidence for building the defence only after receiving the reports from the prosecution that they are yet to receive.

In response to this, the state prosecutor said they would try to submit the reports by the end of August.

With this, the next hearing will be for both sides to disclose evidence.

According to the prosecution Fawaz, who is involved in the case, was attempting to persuade the group that it would not be a sin for them to plot Naeema’s murder, as they believed she was involved in practicing black magic.

Fawaz is to have scheduled a date to carry out the murder and even collected the necessary materials needed to go through with it.

The Prosecutor General’s Office (PG Office) revealed that the accused took everything to Annaarumaage in Manadhoo island in Fawaz’s car between 1am and 3:30am on 6 April 2023.

According to the PG Office, Fawaz had carefully instructed Ahuzam and Rifas on the phone on how to carry out the attack since they entered the house, and that Ahuzam and Rifas had stabbed her in several parts of the neck and back with a knife as planned.

After the job was done, Fawaz came by to pick them up, took them to the Naamagu region where they destroyed the evidence, picked them up from there again and dropped them home.

As a payment for the killing, Fawaz is to have then provided them drugs.

Denying the charges raised against him, Ahuzam’s defence stated that the reasons for denying the charges would be clarified in the next hearing.

Criminal Court Judge Ali Adam is presiding over the trial.

PG Office in November 2023 revealed details of the charges raised against those arrested in the murder case.

Charges were raised against three; Ahuzam, 23, Rifaas, 21 and Fawaz, 21, all native to Manadhoo island.

The charge of obstructing the administration of justice, was raised as they were accused of attempting to destroy the weapons used to murder Naeema by setting them on fire, and for attempting to destroy evidence.

They are charged with misusing the corpse on the grounds that they had locked the door of the house. As such, the PG noted that the family had come to learn that such an act was carried out as a result of the actions of the accused on the body of Naeema, after 40 hours since the incident took place.

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) earlier revealed that they had collected some evidence in connection with the case after one of the accused confessed to the crime, and based on the information provided by him.

As such, police confiscated two sharp weapons suspected to have been used to kill the elderly woman, from the scene of the attack.

Officers recovered the items from a pit where the items were buried after they were set on fire.

The investigation in the case was conducted as a homicide investigation as authorities identified alleged loopholes in Naeema’s death.

DNA samples of some individuals who lived near the woman’s house were also collected in connection with the case, with officers having collected DNA samples from those who had gone looking for Naeema in her house as well.

The Manadhoo woman’s family filed a report at the police station after not having heard from her for two days. She is to have been living alone in the house.

Naeema was found dead inside her room after sundown. Her body was discovered by officers who broke down the door to her room. The elderly woman’s body was reportedly found with injuries.

The police institution declared that there were suspicions and red flags surrounding the woman’s death. After the forensic pathologist ruled out the need for an autopsy examination after collecting samples from the victim’s body, Naeema’s body was handed over to her family and buried the very next day.

The police had also monitored those traveling to and from the island, having declared that no one would be allowed to exit or enter the island without authorization as part of the operation.

The woman was employed by the island council as a sweeper, to clean the island and she is to have been absent for work for two days, when she was reported missing. According to the island council, Naeema was a good worker and had excellent attendance and performance records.

The murder took the country by storm, especially as the island has never reported such a heinous crime.