Three out of the six individuals charged over the death of Rawshan Jian have pleaded guilty in court.

Eight-year-old Jian succumbed to injuries attained from being crushed by a falling cement bag from a construction site under the maintenance of W Construction, last December. She died while receiving treatment at Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).

The three who pleaded guilty at the first hearing of the case held on Thursday are, Indian nationals Rajjav Ali, Muthumani Ramachanduran and Kesharilal Chauhan. Of the three, Ali and Ramachandhuran are charged with criminal negligence in operating the winch lift that had caused the cement bag to tear and fall, while Chauhan is charged with failure to warn a person of a hazard.

A fourth Indian national, Gulan Mahamadhu was also charged for the same offence as Chauhan.

Ali, who was operating the winch lift at the time of the incident, confessed in court, however having stated that he had not intended for the incident to occur. Similar confessions were made by Ramachandhuran, who gave instructions to lift the cement bag on the winch.

Chauhan, who was one of the two who helped load the cement bag onto the winch, reiterated the same sentiments.

Following their confessions, the presiding judge over the case had announced that a verdict hearing for the three will be held upcoming Tuesday, as stated under the criminal procedure act.

Mahamadhu as well as W Construction’s Senior Site Supervisor Moosa Hassan and Managing Director Adam Shafeeq had denied the accusations of negligence pinned against them. The two Maldivians had appealed for the opportunity to hire legal representation.

Hassan and Shafeeq are charged with criminal negligence for failure to secure their site as senior officials of the company.

When the three refuted the allegations against them, state witnesses had been presented against them. 24 pieces of evidence were presented against Mahamadhu and 31 pieces of evidence were presented against the two Maldivians.

If found guilty, Ali faces a prison sentence totaling six years while Ramachandhuran and Mahamadhu face a one-month and six-day sentence.

If the charges against the two Maldivians are proven, they face a prison sentence of one year, seven months and six days.

Maldives Police Service had concluded their investigation into the case and forwarded the case to the Prosecutor General’s office in February and the charges were raised against the six from W Construction in late February.