Parliament approves Saleem, Hameed to Supreme Court

The Parliament on Wednesday approved the appointments of High Court Justice Mohamed Saleem and former High Court Justice Abdulla Hameed to fill two vacancies on the seven-member bench of the Supreme Court.

The vacancies arose following the Parliament's decision on 14th of last month to remove justices Mahaz Ali Zahir and Azmiralda Zahir from the judiciary. The decision to appoint Hameed and Saleem was made by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and endorsed by the Parliament’s Judiciary Committee.

During Wednesday’s session, members voted on the Judiciary Committee’s report. Hameed received 60 votes, while Saleem was approved with 61 votes. Member of Parliament Ibrahim Hussain from the People’s National Congress (PNC) did not participate in the vote for Hameed but voted in favour of Saleem. Members of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) abstained from both votes.

The previous removal of Azmiralda Zahir and Mahaz Ali Zahir was based on findings by the JSC, which concluded that the judges had committed misconduct. The Parliament, with a PNC supermajority, endorsed their removal.

The disciplinary process initiated by the JSC was questioned by Parliamentary Counsel General Fathimath Filza, who advised that the investigation into the judges had begun without following the proper procedure.

In February, the JSC suspended Azmiralda Zahir, Mahaz Ali Zahir, and former judge Husnu Suood. Suood subsequently resigned from the judiciary, citing concerns over government influence on the courts. The government has denied the allegations.

The three suspensions occurred shortly before the Supreme Court was scheduled to hear a case concerning amendments to the Constitution that could affect party membership and result in the loss of parliamentary seats. The case has since stalled following the suspensions.