Rizana: Dawadmi HC to consider objections

Mohammed Rasooldeen

The High Court in Dawadmi will consider the objections raised by Rizana Nafeek's Attorney today on the instructions of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).

Rizana Nafeek, the young Sri Lankan housekeeper was found guilty and sentenced to death on the charge of murdering an infant in her care.

Chief Justice of the Dawadmi court Sheikh Abdullah Al-Rosaimi on June 9 ruled that Nafeek's lawyer, Kateb Al-Shammary, must file any objections directly to the SJC.

"Today's hearing will be based on the submissions made by our lawyer," Sri Lanka Ambassador in the Kingdom Abdul Ageed Mohamed Marleen told the Daily News pointing out that the Dawadmi court has been asked to look into the objections inter alia regarding the statement made by the interpreter who was alleged to have translated Nafeek's initial statement to the police from Tamil into Arabic.

The Lower Court has made its decision based largely on this statement, he stressed.

Marleen, a President's Counsel said he will be in court to witness the proceedings of this case to look after the interests of the maid. The envoy said that the three-member Bench will send its observations to SJC following Saturday's hearing and a final verdict of the SJC would follow.

"The SJC has entertained our objections against the decision of the High Court and once again returned the case to the Court of verdict," Al-Shammary said in a statement issued to the Daily News He added that the court has been instructed to look into the objections regarding the initial translator's statement upon which the court has made its decision.

"We have successfully convinced the SJC to uphold our objections and return the case back to the original court.

We expect a positive development in favour of my client," he added. Nafeek, who is now 20, was arrested on May 22, 2005, shortly after an infant in her care died. She had been working for the family for less than two weeks when, she claims, the baby choked during bottle-feeding.

The father, Naif Jiziyan Khalaf Al-Otaibi, says she murdered the child. She was taken to the Dawadmi police station that day where she allegedly signed a murder confession. In June 2007, Nafeek was sentenced to death by a three-member panel of judges.

A month later, lawyers hired by the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission with the partial financial support of Sri Lankan donors appealed the verdict to the Court of Cassation.