Riyadh: Abdul Rahim, a native of Kozhikode, Farooq Kodampuzha, has been in jail in Riyadh for 18 years in the case of the murder of a Saudi boy. After the case was postponed five times, the Riyadh court will again consider Abdul Rahim’s release case today.
The court will hear the case at 8am local time. The court’s stance today will also be crucial. Rahim was imprisoned on December 26, 2006, in the death of the 15-year-old son of Saudi citizen Faiz Abdullah Abdurrahman Al-Shahri. Rahim’s death sentence was canceled on July 2 after the Saudi family accepted a mercy donation of Rs 34 crore and pardoned him. Rahim can only be released from prison if his sentences, including imprisonment, are commuted.
The first hearing on the release petition was held on October 21. However, the court adjourned the case, saying that the bench had changed and that the bench that had stayed the death sentence should also decide on the release. Then, on November 17, the bench that had stayed the death sentence considered the case. However, the case was adjourned, saying that another hearing was needed as the matter needed to be examined carefully. The verdict was not delivered in the next hearing held on December 8 either.
