The legal team of Supreme Court Justice Dr. Azmiralda Zahir, who is currently in suspension, has released a statement accusing the government of attempting to exert influence on her by leveraging the case against her husband.
The regulatory body for judges, Judicial Service Commission (JSC) suspended three Supreme Court justices – Azmiralda, Husnu Al-Suood and Mahaz Ali Zahir – last Wednesday. Suood subsequently resigned on Tuesday.
JSC said the three justices were suspended in light of criminal investigations against them by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The suspension had come amid rumors on social media claiming Azmiralda attempted to influence the Criminal Court to release her husband, Dr. Ismail Latheef, who was arrested last December.
In a post on X, Latheef addressed the allegations, explaining that during a police raid at a massage parlor where he was present to receive services, all individuals at the location, including himself, were arrested. He noted that the police had stated in court that he was not suspected of committing any crime. He further emphasized that his wife, Azmiralda, had not attempted to interfere with the case in any way.
In a statement on Thursday, Azmiralda’s legal team reiterated that she had not reached out to any judges to try to influence her husband's release. Instead, the legal team accused individuals in high-ranking government positions of leveraging the case to as an attempt to influence Azmiralda through various institutions.
As such, the legal team said Azmirald had lodged a complaint with ACC last Thursday, seeking a criminal investigation into the matter. Citing ACC, the legal team said the complaint was dismissed because it did not meet the criteria for a corruption offense and as the acts specified in the complaint “did not seem like it was committed with the intent of attaining an undue benefit to one’s self or another”.
The legal team, noting various government institutions were following due process over the baseless allegations raised against Azimiralda, stressed none of the institutions had fulfilled their legal obligations with respect to complaints submitted by Azmiralda herself. The legal team also stressed that Azmiralada has been denied further information by ACC regarding the case they are investigating when requested in writing.
“Hence, it is questionable whether the Commission is conducting an investigation that has any foundation,” the legal team questioned.
The legal team, emphasizing that Azmiralda has been hindered in her pursuit of justice, urged government institutions and their leaders to uphold the rule of law and adhere to legal procedures.
Azmiralda’s allegations come after Suood’s bombshell allegations against the government in his resignation letter addressed to the President and JSC.
In this regard, Suood said the Supreme Court had faced numerous pressures from the administration ever since the court established it has jurisdiction to hear a case challenging the contentious amendment to add anti-defection provisions to the Constitution.
The three justices were suspended less than one hour ahead of the 11:00am hearing scheduled at the Supreme Court on February 26th regarding a request for an injunction to suspend the enforcement of controversial anti-defection clauses. 
At 10:00am on the same day, the Parliament passed the government-backed amendment to the Judicature Act to downsize the Supreme Court bench from seven to five justices.