The Parliament of the Maldives has passed the dismissal motion 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. Following deliberations on the parliament floor on the committee report presented on the matter by the Parliamentary Committee on Judiciary, the dismissal motion was passed with votes from 58 parliamentarians.
The dismissal motion had initially been launched against Judge Hameed and Judge Abdul Rauf Ibrahim. However, Judge Rauf 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.