Supreme Court Judge Husnu Su'ood has resigned, alleging government intimidation and unconstitutional interference in the judiciary.
In his resignation letter, Su'ood stated that the government was pressuring the Supreme Court after it ruled that it had jurisdiction to hear a petition challenging a constitutional amendment that would strip MPs of their seats if they defected or were expelled from their parties.
Su'ood, who has served on the Supreme Court since December 8, 2019, resigned today. His resignation follows the suspension of Supreme Court judges Azmiralda Zahir and Mahaz Ali Zahir by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on February 26.
The JSC acted after receiving information from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) regarding an ongoing investigation.
The JSC has also decided to investigate additional cases against Su'ood, Azmiralda, and Mahaz.
In his letter, Su'ood criticized Parliament for passing a bill to reduce the number of Supreme Court judges from seven to five following the court’s decision to hear the petition. He accused the government of attempting to control the judiciary and force a favorable ruling.
"... I hereby resign as a judge of the Supreme Court of Maldives in protest," Su'ood wrote.
The government has denied any interference, stating that Supreme Court bench reductions and replacements have occurred before. However, the opposition claims that the timing of the suspensions and the court’s restructuring while a case of government interest is pending amounts to undue influence.
The Supreme Court now consists of Chief Justice Ahmed Muthasim Adnan, Judges Aisha Shujoon Mohamed, Ali Rasheed Hussain, and Dr Mohamed Ibrahim. However, with Azmiralda and Mahaz suspended, the court faces operational challenges.
To address this, former MP Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra) has filed a case in the High Court seeking to restore the Supreme Court’s functionality.