President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has characterized the abrupt change of his member on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) amid a Supreme Court hearing on the constitutional amendment on disqualification of lawmakers as a coincidence.
Muizzu first appointed lawyer Mohamed Sameer as his representative on the JSC, which has the power to investigate and take action against judges, on November 23, 2023.
He was removed from the post and Yazmeed Mohamed was appointed as the new representative on February 23, 2025. At the time, the constitutional case on MP disqualification was pending in the Supreme Court.
"It was just a coincidence. I didn't know beforehand that something like this was going to happen. How would I know? I didn't think of it that way when making the change. I just implemented a decision that was made at the time to replace the member," he said.
Yazmeed previously worked as an accountant and does not have any legal experience. He contested for Villingili constituency on a ticket of the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) during the parliamentary elections in 2024.
Justice Husnu Suood, Azmiralda Zahir and Mahaz Ali Zahir were suspended after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) fabricated an investigation against them and sent a letter to the JSC to obstruct the constitutional case.
Suood resigned in protest of intimidation and influence from Muizzu and his Attorney General (AG) Ahmed Usham. JSC did not pursue allegations against Suood after his resignation.
Yazmeed was the chairperson of the "government committee" set up to investigate the allegations against Amiralda and Mahaz to halt the constitutional case.
