President Dr Mohamed Muizzu on Wednesday, appointed the newest Judge on the Supreme Court bench as a member of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
Judge Hussain Shaheed who was the Chief Judge of the first appellate court was appointed to the Supreme Court bench on 19 March.
Judge Shaheed will serve on the JSC as the non-elected representative of the Supreme Court. He will replace Justice Husnu Al Suood who stepped down amid a corruption investigation.
Judge Shaheed’s extensive academic credentials and professional achievements have made him a distinguished figure in the Maldivian judiciary. He pursued his studies in law and Islamic Shariah at Al-Azhar University in Cairo and the Kulliyyath al-Dhiraasath al-Islamiyya in the Maldives, later obtaining a master’s degree in Islamic judicial science and Shariah policy from the Islamic University of Maldives (IUM).
Throughout his career, Judge Shaheed has held a series of notable judicial roles, including magistrate of Feydhoo Magistrate Court in Addu City and senior magistrate of Holhudhoo Magistrate Court in Noonu Atoll. He also served as a judge at the Criminal Court before being appointed to the High Court in 2018. In November 2022, he assumed the role of Acting Senior Judge, which was formally confirmed on 30 October 2023.
The 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.