Raudh sentenced to 27-days in prison with no time left to serve

Raudh Ahmed Zilaal, present Mariyam Yumnu moments before she fell from the ninth floor of a building in Male’, was sentenced to 27 days in prison on Wednesday but will not serve further time, as he already spent it in pre-trial detention.

The Prosecutor General’s Office charged Raudh in late May with failing to assist a person in need without reasonable cause, an offense that carries a sentence of one month and six days in prison.

Raudh pled guilty in the case earlier this month, leading to Criminal Court to deliver a lighter sentence.

In this regard, Raudh was sentenced to 27 days in prison; however, he will not serve further time, as he already spent it in pre-trial detention.

21-year-old Yumnu was found injured on the rooftop of H. Mitaz, a warehouse, at around 07:30 am on April 18. According to the police, their investigation uncovered that she fell from a skylight in the ninth-floor stairwell of the adjacent building, H. Fentenoy, but that there was no evidence of foul play.

According to the PGO, Raudh failed to aid Yumnu despite being aware of her fall, and nor did he report the incident to any authority seeking help.

The case of Yumnu, who spent nearly three hours on the rooftop of a warehouse before a neighbor saw her and alerted the authorities, had sparked serial protests in Male’.

On April 27, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu appointed a five-member presidential commission headed by Dr. Mohamed Munavvar to conduct an inquiry into the case. The commission completed the inquiry and presented their findings to President Muizzu on June 17. 

The report ruled out any third-party involvement in Yumnu’s fall; however, it highlighted systemic issues and called for accountability, including an inquiry into police negligence.