Abdulla Luthfee, the mastermind behind the attempt to unlawfully overthrow the government on November 3, 1988, was brought back to the Maldives Tuesday night.
After his arrival from an EK flight at 2130hr, he was taken to the Police station to complete the necessary documents and was later handed over to the Maldives Correctional Services.
He escaped after being given permission to go abroad for medical treatment during the presidency of Mohamed Nasheed. It was reported that since then he has been living in hiding in Sri Lanka.
After the Easter Sunday Bombing in Sri Lanka, foreigners were requested to register at the closest police station and illegal immigrants were deported. Hence to seek protection Luthfee tuned himself to the embassy on May 1.
He is said to serve the rest of his sentence in Maafushi Prison.
Luthfee and his partner, Sagar Ahmed Nasir, were initially sentenced to capital punishment for their crimes. During the presidency of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the sentence was reduced to life imprisonment which, as per the Maldivian constitution, consists of 25 years. Hence If Luthfee had not fled, his sentence would have ended in 2014.
Sagar Ahmed Nasir was freed after he completed his sentence.
