Pres hails boost in public faith in judiciary

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said on Thursday that there is a growing confidence in the decisions of the courts of the Maldives.

Speaking at a ceremony held at Dharubaaruge on Thursday to mark the new year of the judiciary, President Solih said that the negative image of the Maldives' judiciary is gradually improving.

"People are instilling confidence in the court’s decisions. Building that trust is an integral part of the government's strategic action plan," he said.

"People have faith in the court when a just verdict is delivered. The judgment must be delivered before the passage of time, the communication unbroken."

However, President Solih said that delays in cases by courts are still one of the most common complaints of the people towards the judiciary.

"One solution to the complaint was to establish and decide on the modalities for online trials in all courts across the country," he said.

"This change has also saved people from the hardships they have been facing to travel and appear before the court and the many other hardships."

In his speech, President Solih outlined some of the work done and planned to be done by the current administration for the development of the judiciary. He said the budget allocation for the judiciary this year was 35% higher than in 2018.

"In the year we came to power, the judiciary had a budget of MVR 440 million. This year, we have allocated MVR 605 million for the judiciary," he said.

In addition to the budget increase, president Solih highlighted other things that the administration has done and planned to do: