No reason to call to free husband after release, Azmiralda’s lawyer says

Justice Dr. Azmiralda Zahir's lawyer, Ibrahim Shameel, said Tuesday that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) acted on perception rather than evidence when it decided to remove Azmiralda from her post, accusing her of misconduct related to her husband's arrest.

Azmiralda’s husband, IGMH doctor Ismail Latheef, was arrested last December at a massage parlour Two months later, the JSC launched an ethics case against Azmiralda and fellow judge Mahaz Ali Zahir for allegedly influencing a Criminal Court judge to release him.

Addressing the media Tuesday, Shameel emphasised that there was no logical reason for Azmiralda to contact her husband through another judge after his release from custody had already been ordered.

“We don't think any sane person would believe that a person who has been released at 10:38 AM should be called at 11:30 AM to be released again,” said Shameel, calling the JSC's timeline implausible.

He added that phone records show Azmiralda and Mahaz had no communication before 6:28 PM on the day in question. Shameel also claimed Mahaz learned of the arrest from another judge, Justice Husnu Suood, but the JSC disregarded this.

Shameel criticised inconsistencies in the JSC’s reports. The initial report made no mention of Ismail being arrested naked, while the final report claimed he was — a claim contradicted by court documents, according to the lawyer.

He further noted that others arrested that day at the spa were treated differently — one man entered into a counsel agreement, and the woman was charged with prostitution — while Ismail's case was neither prosecuted nor appealed.

“Judge Azmiralda does not believe a judge should destroy her own career to protect an unfaithful husband,” Shameel stated.

He affirmed that Azmiralda had never faced such allegations in her career and maintained her hope for a fair review by Parliament’s Judiciary Committee.