High Court Rejects Murder Accused Sahil’s Appeal

The High Court has rejected an appeal filed by Sahil Ali against his conviction and sentence imposed by the Criminal Court while he remains on trial over the 2022 killing of a young woman in Malé.

The case relates to the death of a young woman in August 2022, whose body was found with severe injuries inside a house in the capital. Sahil is facing five charges in connection with the case. The proceedings have been held in secret, and the charges have not been publicly disclosed.

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The Criminal Court previously convicted Sahil on two charges and sentenced him to three years, one month and six days in prison. While the Criminal Court did not disclose the charges, the High Court registry indicates that the convictions relate to a drug offence and possession of pornographic or sexually explicit material.

Sahil had previously attempted to appeal the conviction, but the appeal was rejected on procedural grounds relating to documentation. He filed another appeal on 23 July.

However, the High Court Registrar dismissed both appeals, stating that the Criminal Court’s judgment did not contain sufficient grounds for the case to be heard by the High Court.

The remaining charges against Sahil have yet to be disclosed. The trial has concluded, and the next stage of the proceedings is the hearing of closing submissions.

During earlier hearings, the court said Sahil had been provided with legal representation at state expense but had failed to cooperate with his appointed lawyers. The Attorney General’s Office subsequently decided not to appoint any further state-funded lawyers, citing his lack of cooperation with previous legal representatives.