Committee votes to dismiss Criminal Court judge Faiz
A JSC investigation found that Faiz’s ruling on the custody of a suspect taken into police custody was unconstitutional and unlawful.
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Parliamentary committee on Tuesday voted to remove Criminal Court Judge Hussain Faiz Rashad from the bench.
The decision follows a Judicial Service Commission (JSC) investigation which found that Faiz’s ruling on the custody of a suspect taken into police custody was unconstitutional and unlawful.
Under the procedure for removing a judge, the JSC submits its decision to Parliament. The parliamentary Judiciary Committee then reviews whether due process was followed before the matter is put to a vote in the full chamber.
During Tuesday’s Judiciary Committee meeting, Faresmathoda MP Ashraf Rasheed said the committee’s role was limited to confirming whether procedures were complete. He noted:
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Documents submitted by the JSC show that procedural requirements were met
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Judge Faiz has not lodged a complaint with Parliament or any other authority
Ashraf moved to forward the matter to Parliament for a vote. The motion was seconded by Feydhoo North MP Ismail Nizar and subsequently approved unanimously by the committee.
It is understood that the JSC had examined two cases involving Judge Faiz:
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The remand order for Haleemath Lamha Abdul Rahman, who is charged in connection with the death of Filipino nurse Mary Grace Oned Pineda
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The unconditional release of Ali Anwar Mohamed, previously charged with leading a drug-smuggling network, who was freed after a recent arrest and later re-arrested while attempting to travel to Maldives
The JSC decision to remove Faiz stemmed from his order releasing Anwar, who is accused of involvement in drug trafficking.
