Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has said that they will have no role in the transfer of escaped fugitive, Abdulla Luthufee, who was the mastermind behind the 1988 coup which saw the deaths of many Maldivians.

Answering a question raised by a journalist regarding MNDF's role in the transfer of Luthufee back to the Maldives, MNDF noted that they have no role in transferring of criminals who have been living abroad.

Luthufee had presented himself voluntarily and has since been residing at the Maldivian Embassy in Sri Lanka, on May 1st.

MNDF also noted that they were not the ones to conduct the investigation into the 1988 coup, as some people on Social Media had been claiming that the death sentence on Luthufee was unfair, and that the investigation and trial were carried out without presenting the defendant proper time to come up with a defense.

Luthufee was allowed to travel to neighboring Sri Lanka on 16th January 2010 for medical purposes during former president Mohamed Nasheed’s administration. However, he went into hiding during the trip and has been residing in Sri Lanka for the past nine years as a fugitive.