Former Supreme Court Justice Abdulla Didi has been appointed as a state minister at the President's Office despite potentially facing charges related to the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) corruption scandal.
Abdulla was appointed as State Minister for Legal Affairs at the President's Office, Adhadhu has confirmed.
President's Office Communications Minister Ibrahim Khaleel did not respond to repeated calls and text messages seeking comment on the issue.
The Prosecutor General's (PG) office is reviewing charges sought against Abdulla Didi in an MMPRC case, the PG office media official confirmed to Adhadhu.
Abdulla Didi was removed from the bench by Parliament on August 28, 2019, after the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) conducted an inquiry and recommended his dismissal. At the time, 72 MPs voted in favour of his dismissal.
The JSC inquiry into Abdulla Didi's alleged ethical misconduct took place with hearings open to the public at the Dharubaaruge convention centre.
He was accused of accepting bribes to unfairly convict opposition politicians since 2014. The judge was also alleged to have accepted cash from suspects in the MMPRC embezzlement scheme in circumstances that appeared to lack legitimate reasons.
A special committee set up to look into the case also considered a police report with evidence to back up the allegations. Abdulla Didi submitted a response to the committee over the allegations but did not reveal any details.
The JSC committee decided unanimously to remove Abdulla Didi from the bench after concluding the ethics investigation and determining that he had accepted bribes and abused his authority for personal gain.
