Man Acquitted in Malé Phone Shop Theft Despite Fingerprint Match

The Criminal Court has acquitted a man arrested on suspicion of stealing phones and money from a shop on Maaveyo Magu in Malé, ruling that the charges were not proven beyond reasonable doubt. The accused was Hassan Shaan of Fenithila, Haa Alif Atoll. The incident took place around 03:30 on the night of October 11 last year, when an individual broke the lighting of the kitchen on the first floor of the shop, entered the premises and stole items. It was alleged that seven phones of various Samsung and Nokia models, three Wava Matepad tablets and MVR 2,000 kept in the cash box were taken. The Office of the Attorney General initially filed charges of theft and criminal damage against Shaan, who denied the allegations in both cases. The state's main evidence was CCTV footage and a forensic fingerprint report. According to police testimony, a person was seen entering in the CCTV footage, but no video analysis report was prepared because the individual's face was covered and it was unclear who the person was due to the darkness inside the shop. The fingerprint report submitted by the state said a fingerprint found on the outside of a cardboard box inside the office area of the shop matched Shaan's right thumbprint. However, in his judgment, Judge Ibrahim Zihni noted that the fingerprint was found on a type of paper box that is easily carried and moved from one place to another, and the state failed to prove when the box was brought to the shop and who placed it there. The judgment stated that it could not be confirmed whether anyone else had touched the box afterwards, so it could not be established that Shaan touched the box after entering the premises on the night of the incident. It added that relying solely on a fingerprint found on movable property to prove guilt does not meet the standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt required in the criminal justice system, even when compared with information in the police database. The court therefore determined that the charges of theft and criminal damage brought by the state against Shaan were not proven beyond reasonable doubt as outlined in Article 51 (a) of the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives. Shaan has been acquitted in this case, though he has a prior record of being arrested by police on suspicion of conducting business using fake bank slips and stealing engine parts.