Parliament receives nomination of Abdul Ghani for Chief Justice
The vacancy was created following the retirement of Chief Justice Muthasim Adnan on 21 July.
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Parliament on Monday received the nomination of former Supreme Court Justice and current President of the Tax Appeal Tribunal, Abdul Ghani Mohamed, for the post of Chief Justice.
The vacancy was created following the retirement of Chief Justice Muthasim Adnan on 21 July.
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) recommended that President Dr Mohamed Muizzu submit Abdul Ghani’s name to Parliament for consideration. A letter from the President proposing Abdul Ghani for the post was read out during Monday’s sitting and subsequently forwarded to the Judiciary Committee for review.
Abdul Ghani previously served as a judge of the Civil Court from 2000 to 2004 and as a High Court judge from 2004 to 2018. In 2018, he was appointed to the Supreme Court. He was removed from the bench in 2019 following changes in government and parliamentary majorities. His appointment at the time was linked to the February 1 Supreme Court order, and during the tenure of the MDP government, the composition of the court was altered following a report on the previous bench.
In addition to Abdul Ghani, other individuals seeking appointment as Chief Justice include former High Court Chief Justice Shujau Usman, Family Court Judge and former Criminal Court Chief Justice Abdulla Mohamed.
Following Adnan’s retirement, the administrative responsibilities of the Supreme Court have been temporarily assigned to Justice Abdulla Hameed. Other sitting judges on the bench include Aisha Shujoon Mohamed, Ali Rasheed Hussain, Dr Mohamed Ibrahim, Hussain Rasheed, and Mohamed Saleem.
According to the Judiciary Act, the JSC is responsible for interviewing candidates and recommending names to the President. The President, in turn, forwards the selected name or names to Parliament. Upon parliamentary approval, the President must formalise the appointment within seven days. The President also holds the discretion to nominate other individuals to the Supreme Court, including for the post of Chief Justice.
