Due to the dilapidated condition of the old Criminal Court building and water leaking, electric shorts had disrupted the court’s functions. After a prolonged wait, the problem has finally been solved this Sunday.   
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has officially opened the Criminal Court and Drug Court established as the Justice Building Annex in Hulhumale' in celebration of the 60th Independence Day of the Maldives. The national flag and the judiciary flag were raised at the building to commemorate the inauguration of the court facility.
The building will house all the divisions of the Criminal Court and Drug Court. The Criminal Court will have 10 courtrooms and 11 administrative sections. Five courtrooms have been reserved for the drug court.
The government describes the relocation of the two courts to Hulhumale with the assistance of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) as a major step forward for the judiciary.
Various trials have been canceled in the past due to water leaking with the deterioration of the Criminal Court building. In the past, dangerous incidents like pillars collapsing have occurred as well.
A part of a pillar inside the old Criminal Court building collapsed. (Photo/Judges' Viber Group)
On February 22, 2023, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) ordered part of the Criminal Court building not to be used due to the water leakage problem. Since then, the water leak had spread to the electricity system, and the court hearings had to be conducted in a single courtroom, the Criminal Court said.
This had delayed the trials and severely hampered the administrative process.
The Criminal Court trials were held in the building used as the Hulhumale Division of the Civil Court since June last year.
However, with the opening of the new building near Treetop Hospital in Hulhumale Phase I on Sunday, all the divisions of the court have been moved under one roof.
Chief Judicial Administrator Amjad Musthafa, Attorney General Ahmed Usham and Judicial Service Commission President Hussain Riza attended the ceremony.
The Department of Judicial Administration presented a plaque to the President during the ceremony held to inaugurate the new court building. The plaque was presented by Chief Judicial Administrator Amjad.