President-elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has vowed to remove political influence from the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, President-elect Muizzu said that the judicial system in the Maldives is not free and fair and that he will put in measures to increase transparency from day one. He noted that the JSC is highly political and said that he would change the law to completely remove political influence from the JSC and the judiciary.
Additionally, President-elect Muizzu agreed with the recommendations by the United Nations (UN) special rapporteur on the independence of judges that the JSC should be composed entirely of former judges and should not have any political figures. As such, he guaranteed that he would transform the commission and remove political influence, as he had pledged in his campaign.
JSC is composed of 10 members consisting of the Speaker of Parliament, representative judges from the Supreme Court, the High Court, and the lower courts, as well as representatives of the President and the Parliament. The commission also includes representatives of the President of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Attorney General, as well as members representing attorneys and the public.