The High Court has dismissed the case filed regarding the conditional release of Haleemath Lamha, native to Hinnavaru island of Lhaviyani atoll, who has been charged in the murder case of Mary Grace, a Philippines national who was employed as a nurse at Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).

Lamha was released on conditional bail by the Criminal Court on 12 November 2024.

When the state appealed the decision at the High Court, the High Court decided not to accept the case.

Lamha was arrested and held in remand until the end of the trial on suspicion of Mary's murder. Charges were filed against Lamha in October 2021. After the trial began, Lamha's main complaint was that the hearings were not progressing at a satisfactory speed.

Haleemath Lamha, the Maldivian woman who was also employed as a nurse at IGMH, is one of the two people charged in connection with the case, the other being Marvin, spouse of the deceased who was also employed as a nurse at IGMH. Lamha was conditionally released upon request at the Criminal Court earlier as well. Although the court ordered her release in November 2023, when the state submitted the case at the High Court, on 20 December 2023, the High Court overturned the Criminal Court's decision and maintained her detention.

In October, another request was submitted at the Criminal Court to review Lamha's detention, which was set to last until the end of the trial. At the hearing held at the Criminal Court on November 12, she was conditionally released. The conditions include not going out at certain times, appearing in court at times specified by the court, not leaving the house except for essential needs, not traveling outside of Malé, not meeting with any witnesses who are outside of Malé, as well as not meeting with any witnesses who have testified in the case. Further, she is not allowed to meet with any of Mary Grace's family members.

At the last hearing, Lamha’s attorneys stated that they do not believe there is a reason to keep Lamha in detention and that her rights are being violated due to the prolonged detention. The High Court had previously ordered her detention when she was released, considering that the lower court was still taking witness testimonies related to the case, assuming the trial would not be further delayed.

However, at the hearing held on November 6, the state opposed Lamha's release. They stated that there are more witness testimonies to be taken, and Lamha is being detained on suspicion of committing a serious criminal offense that poses a danger to society as part of a group. With this, the state said they cannot agree to release Lamha as that situation still exists.

Marvin was charged with the deliberate murder of his wife Mary Grace on 4 January 2022. He faces accusations of injuring Mary’s head and neck and strangling her to death in their apartment in the capital city on 19 October 2021. Marvin faces a 10-year prison sentence if he is proven guilty of the charges raised against him.

Lamha, who is Marvin’s alleged lover, also faces charges for conspiring with him to carry out the murder and assisting in facilitating it. Hearings in both trials are being held separately. Lamha faces six years in prison if she is found guilty.

She also faces additional charges for deliberately taking unauthorized control over the property of another person or place after the police found two injections from IGMH that she did not have authority to take out of the hospital. The two needles were found hidden inside her bedroom. She is also charged with carrying out an activity that requires permission from authorities without obtaining permission after police found a drug issued only for the use of hospitals while searching her bedroom.

MPS confirmed the arrest of Lamha under a court order on 16 December 2021.

Mary Grace was employed as a worker at the Dialysis Center of IGMH. The Filipino nurse’s suspicious death was reported on 19 October 2021. After bringing her body to the hospital, her husband initially claimed that she committed suicide by hanging. However, he is said to have later changed the story.

The police arrested Marvin, 29, on 27 October 2021 under suspicions of murder as there were no signs of suicide by hanging on the victim’s body.

The murdered nurse’s body was sent to India for an autopsy and returned to her family in the Philippines afterwards, on 7 November 2021.

Citing the autopsy report, the police institution revealed that her death is not believed to have been by hanging. The autopsy report indicated that she died from a “blunt trauma,” which refers to an injury of the body by forceful impacts, falls, or a physical attack on the body.

The police institution forwarded the case for prosecution on 19 December 2021.