High profile murder suspect to remain under house arrest, not jail, rules court

The high court ruled Monday that a suspected murderer should remain under house arrest rather than be moved to a secure detention facility.

The appellate court rejected an appeal by the state to move Ibrahim Abdul Raheem, who is awaiting trial over the murder of a notorious Maldivian gangster in Colombo, from house arrest in Malé to a state-run detention facility.

Raheem was arrested in April and initially held at a police detention facility. He was moved to house arrest following a criminal court judgment in November.

When Raheem’s trial on accomplice to murder charges began in January, prosecutors petitioned the judge to transfer Raheem to state custody, but were denied, prompting the state to file a challenge at the high court.