The Parliamentary Group (PG) of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has issued a three-line whip to vote for the removal of High Court Judge Abdulla Hameed.
The motion to dismiss Judge Abdulla Hameed was initiated by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), after investigating a complaint accusing him of violating Article 152 of the Constitution of the Maldives by accepting government-issued flats at special prices after agreeing to issue a particular verdict in a court case. MDP PG passed the three-line whip to remove Judge Hameed, with votes from 29 of the 35 members that attended the vote.
Despite MDP’s three-line whip to remove Judge Hameed, the Judicial Services Committee of the Parliament had stated JSC did not follow the due procedures in submitting the dismissal motion against Judge Hameed. However, the committee report will be presented to the parliament floor next week for a final decision.
The dismissal motion had initially been submitted against Judge Hameed and Judge Abdul Rauf Ibrahim. However, Judge Rauf has submitted his resignation on May 31, amid the proceedings of the dismissal motion.
In its investigation report, JSC stated the government had given the flats directly to the judges without any involvement from the Parliament and that it violates Article 152, which states that judges are to be paid a salary and allowances in keeping with the stature of their office as determined by the Parliament. JSC highlighted that the Parliament has not made special arrangements for the accommodation of judges and that the flats were not given in accordance with any established rules or regulations. Therefore, it stated that Judge Abdul Rauf and Judge Abdulla Hameed had violated the Constitution by accepting the flats and that they have also violated the code of conduct of judges by taking actions that undermine the public’s trust in the judiciary.