The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has sent the investigative statements of former Supreme Court justices Dr. Azmiralda Zahir and Mahaz Ali Zahir to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), six months after the pair were removed from the bench.
Azmiralda, Mahaz, and then‑Justice Husnu Al Suood were abruptly suspended on February 26 last year after the ACC informed the JSC that criminal cases were forthcoming. The JSC also announced it was probing “behavioural issues” involving the three. Suood resigned days later, while the JSC decided in May to dismiss Azmiralda and Mahaz.
Parliament, controlled by the government’s supermajority, removed the two justices on May 14 without providing what they described as adequate opportunity to respond.
The suspensions came shortly after the Supreme Court scheduled hearings in a politically sensitive case challenging a constitutional amendment that would strip MPs of their seats if they defected. The timing of the ACC and JSC actions drew criticism and allegations of political interference.
Six months after the dismissals, the ACC requested the JSC to obtain and forward the statements the judges had given during the JSC’s inquiry. Although some JSC members objected, arguing there was no legal basis to share the material, the commission, dominated by government appointees, sent the statements to the ACC.
The suspended Supreme Court Justices; Husnu al Suood (R), Mahaz Ali Zahir (C) and Dr. Azmiralda Zahir (L). (Photo/ President's Office)
The JSC’s investigation into the judges had been initiated at the ACC’s request. Internal disagreements emerged after the ACC sought the statements post‑dismissal, as part of an ongoing case.
The Judiciary Committee that reviewed the dismissal decision was chaired by Husnu Al Suood, who now serves as JSC chair.
Azmiralda has previously alleged that the ACC’s initial letter to the JSC, sent on February 26, was issued to protect ACC President Adam Shamil before any formal investigation had begun. She claimed the letter was sent outside the ACC’s procedures and that Shamil had provided false information to the JSC in an attempt to influence judicial work.
Azmiralda later filed a complaint with the ACC seeking an investigation into Shamil. The commission accepted the case.