Supreme Court judge Mahaz cleared of ethics violation
The disciplinary probe related to a lunch held in court on the day Yameen's sentence was quashed
By
Mohamed Muzayyin Nazim
Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on Sunday ruled that Supreme Court Justice Mahaz Ali Zahir has not violated the code of conduct for judges.
The JSC launched a disciplinary enquiry involving Mahaz, who presided over the Supreme Court bench, which in December 2021 quashed the Criminal Court's 2019 jail sentence against former President Abdulla Yameen.
-
The disciplinary probe related to a lunch held in court on the day Yameen's sentence was quashed
-
It was alleged that the lunch was sent by a supporter of Yameen
-
Another disciplinary enquiry was launched for allegedly obstructing the responsibilities of the JSC
The commission cleared Mahaz of wrongdoing in the two cases, at its meeting on Sunday afternoon.
The JSC had earlier issued a statement on the matter saying that the lunch was allegedly "sent by a supporter of a person involved in the case to celebrate a certain verdict". The Supreme Court has not responded to the JSC's request for clarification.
“Despite repeated letters to the Supreme Court seeking clarification, the court except to say that there was a luncheon on that day,” the statement said.
Mahaz has denied the allegations. He said in a statement at the time:
-
Because of the lengthy hearings in Yameen's case, a judge of the bench bought lunch with the other two judges every day
-
He paid for it himself
-
He had bought lunch in that order and fashion, and it had coincided on November 30, the day of the verdict
-
He placed the order and brought the lunch at his own expense; it was the last day all the judges would meet in court before recess, so he invited all the judges to the lunch
-
All the judges of the court attended the lunch
-
All the judges knew where the food was brought from
