The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has received a complaint against a magistrate who dismissed a case of assault. The complaint was submitted against the Magistrate of Fonadhoo Magistrate Court Ali Shareef, who is a member of the JSC representing the lower courts.
Ahmed Shameem was charged with assault for attacking the former Chief Operating Officer (CEO) of DhiFM Masood Hilmy on October 3, 2021, while he was on a motorcycle with his wife. The video of the incident showed the assailant hitting Masood with a metal rod while driving by him on a motorcycle.
The state submitted 11 pieces of evidence against Shameem including the video which showed the assault. However, the complaint submitted to the JSC claimed that Magistrate Shareef was biased and acted differently compared to similar previous cases, noting that the magistrate had decided not to allow Masood’s wife to testify as a witness and had refused to accept the video as evidence. In the ruling, Magistrate Shareef said the video was obtained in violation of criminal procedures and that Masood’s wife was not allowed to testify because of her relationship with the plaintiff.
Magistrate Shareef had accepted the four witnesses put forth by the defense and ruled to dismiss the case by citing the statements of the witnesses, who testified that Shameem was with them during the time of the assault. Masood has also claimed that Shameem had torched his car prior to the assault, but the investigation is still ongoing.