The Criminal Court has imposed a life sentence on Mohamed Nizam for murdering Bangladeshi citizen Mohamed Litton.

Litton, 35, went missing on December 28, 2012 while employed on a tanker. Prosecutors stated Nizam, Manaaru, GDh. Thinadhoo, accompanying him on the ship, unsuspectingly pushed him into the ocean, leading to his demise. Nizam faced charges for deliberate murder as well as two other crimes.

Last week, the court determined that Nizam was not guilty of intentional homicide in Litton's death based on the clear standard mandated by Islamic law, but found him guilty of causing death through reckless indifference to human life according to the Penal Code. Nizam received a 25-year prison sentence on Wednesday, with 21 years and 10 months to be served.

The murder allegation in this situation signifies the initial instance of a murder charge being filed in the Maldives related to a missing individual.

The additional two accusations against Nizam are theft and trafficking in dimorphine. He had a prior conviction for trafficking dimorphine and received a prison sentence. He was found guilty of stealing.

In the sentencing order, the judge remarked that Litton was improbable to survive due to the location where he fell. The judge also highlighted that Nizam’s animosity towards Litton had been demonstrated, and that Nizam confessed in his investigative statement to casting Litton into the sea.