While the Criminal Court on Sunday held the first hearing in the trial of Abdulla Luthufee’s escape from prison, he has been given 10 days to appoint legal representation.

The hearing began at 11am, and was held via video conferencing due to the measures imposed following the Covid-19 pandemic. Luthufee, who is currently in Maafushi Prison, joined in from the Maafushi Magistrate Court.

Presiding Judge Ali Rasheed Hussain began the hearing by asking Luthufee whether he has any objections with holding the hearings via video conferencing, to which Luthufee replied that he has no issues with doing so.

While Judge Rasheed gave Luthufee 10 days to appoint a lawyer, he also ordered the Maldives Correctional Services (MCS) to facilitate this.

Judge Rasheed concluded Sunday’s hearing after announcing that Luthufee will be given the opportunity to respond to the charges against him, at the next hearing.

Luthufee was serving a 25-year prison sentence over the 1988 armed coup attempt, when he escaped after being granted medical leave to neighboring India. While he was initially sentenced to death, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom reduced it to life imprisonment. Luthufee was granted medical leave to India during former President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration, in 2010.

While he had been in hiding since 2010, he was returned to the Maldives in May 2019. Luthufee was caught after he presented himself to the Maldives Embassy in Sri Lanka, after the country launched a nationwide search operation following the 2019 Easter terror attacks.

Charges were raised against Luthufee on March 2 this year, for fleeing incarceration, under section 537 of the Maldives Penal Code.

The lives of 19 Maldivians were taken during the attempted coup in the Maldives capital on November 3, 1988.