The government-backed bill to amend the Judges Act to ban judges from engaging in businesses while holding office has been accepted by the Parliament on Monday and forwarded to the Judiciary Committee.
The government-backed bill sponsored by North Thinadhoo MP Saudhulla Hilmy was accepted with the votes of 69 lawmakers in attendance, with no lawmaker voting against it.
As such, the bill has been forwarded to the Judiciary Committee for review.
According to the bill, it has been submitted with the aim of safeguarding the independence of judges and the judiciary, while also ensuring that judges perform their duties in a trustworthy manner and establishing a code of conduct.
The bill proposes amendments to the section of the Act that stipulates acts that are banned for judges while holding office.
In this regard, judges may engage in work deemed by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) as ones that would not interfere with the independence of the post.
The bill states judges may not run or engage in any form of business dealings. They are also prohibited from purchasing or leasing state-owned property and land. Judges are also barred from having any direct or indirect financial interests in transactions between the state and any other party.
However, judges may hold shares in a state-owned company as long as they are not a significant shareholder.
Judges are allowed to earn an income by selling or leasing land or a house owned by them at a price that is not higher than the market value. They are also allowed to purchase land or housing under a government or private housing scheme for residential purposes.