JSC approves Shaheed, Jameel to High Court bench

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has approved the appointment of Mohamed Shaheed and former judge Abdulla Jameel Moosa to fill two vacancies in the High Court bench.

The decision was made following interviews with 17 candidates who applied for the two posts, which became vacant after two judges from the High Court were appointed to the Supreme Court.

The JSC confirmed the appointments on Wednesday.

Jameel served in the judiciary for over 15 years. From 23 September 2003 to 31 January 2009, he was the magistrate of the L. Dhanbidhoo Magistrate’s Court. He later served as a judge of the Civil Court from 1 February 2009 to 21 February 2019. Following his retirement from the judiciary, he worked as a lawyer for six years.

Shaheed previously held the post of Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Home Affairs. He worked as a lawyer at Honey Weldreadin Company from 30 July 2018 to 23 December 2023. He has also represented the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People’s National Congress (PNC) in legal cases and served as part of the legal team for the ruling coalition.

The High Court vacancies arose after two of its judges were appointed to the Supreme Court. These appointments followed the suspension of three Supreme Court justices: Mahaz Ali Zahir, Dr Azmiralda Zahir, and Husnu Suood. Suood resigned in March and was succeeded by then Chief Justice of the High Court, Hussain Shaheed.

The Supreme Court vacancies resulted from an investigation into ethical conduct. The suspensions took place in February last year, at the time the Supreme Court was preparing to hear a case concerning the implementation of a constitutional amendment related to the loss of parliamentary seats due to political party disqualification.