One of the masterminds behind the 1988 coup d’état, Abdullah Lutheef has been freed from prison today.
A media official from Maldives Correctional Services confirmed to the Press that his conviction expires today and that he would be released from prison later in the day.
Luthfee was initially given a life sentence for his role in the devastating attack back in 1988 but former President Abdullah Maumoon Abdul Gayoom commuted his sentence to 25 years in jail.
Former President and current speaker of the Parliament Mohamed Nasheed granted him medical leave to seek treatment from abroad in 2010.
He fled from authorities after going abroad and lived in Sri Lanka for a few years but turned himself over to the Maldivian Embassy in Sri Lanka in May 2019. He was extradited back to Maldives and imprisoned in a Maafushi jail in July 2019.
The Criminal Court sentenced him to 7 months and 18 days in jail for escaping custody in March 2021.
The failed attempt to topple the government in 1988 killed 19 Maldivians including members of the armed forces and civilians.
