Homeland Security Minister Ali Ihusaan has been accused of using his position to influence the Supreme Court through the police.
A letter signed by lawyer Ibrahim Shameel on behalf of Dr. Ismail Latheef, Supreme Court Justice Dr. Azmiralda Zahir's husband, was addressed to the parliament Committee on National Security Services.
The letter described in great detail how the police acted after Latheef's arrest from a spa registered and operated in the country.
The letter stated that he was not committing an offence when taken into police custody and that his detention was without legal authority.
The incident report and the remand order prepared by the police in connection with the case show these facts, the letter added.
After his release from custody, a Facebook page posted Ismail's photo and wrote that he was arrested from a prostitution establishment.
The letter alleged that the photo used in the post was taken from his national identity card provided to the police and was leaked through the police.
Police refused to share the outcome of the investigation despite the defamation on social media, the letter said.
"We believe that Home Minister Ali Ihusaan is using his position and exerting influence through the police to pressure Supreme Court Justice Dr. Azmiralda Zahir and Supreme Court Justice Mahaz Ali Zahir. It is a situation created to allow the government to influence ongoing cases in the court and to remove some Supreme Court judges,” the letter stated.
The Prosecutor General's (PG) Office decided not to press charges against Latheef, but he was not informed of this decision and the police kept the case "parked" because Ihusaan influenced police officers, the letter alleged.
Meanwhile, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) suspended Justices Azmiralda, Mahaz and Husnu Suood today.
Last night, the parliament's Counsel General Fathimath Filza advised that it is unfair to investigate and dismiss a judge solely for the purpose of the proposed amendment to the Judicature Act.
According to the bill passed today, the two judges to be removed must be declared incompetent and they do not necessarily have to be given an opportunity to respond.
Opposition and legal experts have said the bill is unconstitutional and its only purpose is to exert the government's influence on the courts.
