Three candidates have submitted applications to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) for the Chief Justice position.
The position became vacant following the retirement of former Chief Justice Ahmed Muthasim Adnan.
Adhadhu understands applications were submitted by former Supreme Court Justice Abdul Ghani Mohamed, former High Court Chief Justice Shujau Usman and Family Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed (Abdullah Ghazi).
Shujau Usman and Abdul Ghani Mohamed submitted applications for two recent vacancies on the Supreme Court bench. But High Court judge Mohamed Saleem and the former judge Abdulla Hameed were appointed to the bench.
Ghani previously served on the Supreme Court bench and also as a judge at the Civil Court and High Court. President Mohamed Muizzu's administration appointed him as a member of the Tax Appeal Tribunal.
The JSC heard multiple cases against him, including the Supreme Court order to disqualify 12 MPs, attempting to stop the JSC's suspension of former Supreme Court Justice Abdullah Didi for allegedly taking bribes and the creation of a judicial council.
Ghani was removed from the position by the parliament on December 4, 2019, based on a report sent by the JSC. Sixty-four MPs voted to remove him from the top court bench.
After serving as a magistrate, Shujau Usman worked in the Criminal Court. Shujau Usman was a member of the bench that heard the terrorism charges against former President Mohamed Nasheed and former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim. Both were convicted and sentenced to prison.
There was concern because the trials were fast-tracked for political reasons. After the trials were completed in March 2015, Shujau Usman was promoted to the High Court in June 2015. The opposition said the "promotion" was a gift from former President Abdulla Yameen’s government.
He then worked at the High Court southern branch in Addu and was appointed as the Head Judge of the High Court in August 2018.
The JSC investigated multiple complaints against Shujau Usman. It includes making an informal visit to Gaaf Alif Gemanafushi in 2018 to campaign for Yameen and meeting the family of a man detained under a criminal court order to discuss his release in return for voting for Yameen.
The JSC sent the cases to parliament for his dismissal. Shujau Usman resigned on August 17, 2020, claiming that justice could not be served.
Less than two weeks after the resignation, he accompanied the opposition leader Abdul Raheem Abdulla as the lawyer during a summons by the police.
The famous Abdulla Ghazi is a former head judge of the Criminal Court. In 2012, the opposition joined forces with the police and army to stage a mutiny after the arrest of Abdullah Ghazi. Abdullah Ghazi was arrested for making several challenges to the establishment of peace and justice through the Criminal Court.
In November 2011, the JSC ruled that a disciplinary case against Abdullah Ghazi for allegedly making politically biased remarks in a 2010 interview with a private TV channel, DhiTV, was proven. But no action was taken against him.
Earlier in 2005, then-Attorney General Hassan Saeed also shared a complaint about Abdullah Ghazi with the President’s Office. It was in a case of sexual assault of a child when the victim was asked to tell the court in detail about the act of the sexual assault.
When the JSC was established in 2009, the documents were sent to the commission.
There are also allegations that Abdullah Ghazi obstructed the police’s efforts to seek court orders through the Criminal Court to investigate corruption during the long regime of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
He also released a murder suspect from custody to hold ministers accountable. The murder suspect killed a second man following his release. Abdullah Ghazi was also accused of having close ties with criminals and their families.
Four people have served as Chief Justices since the Green Constitution came into force. They are Abdullah Saeed, Ahmed Faiz, Ahmed Abdullah Didi and Muthasim Adnan.
Justice Abdulla Hameed is currently serving as the Acting Chief Justice.
The Supreme Court bench consists of seven members. Three of them were appointed by President Mohamed Muizzu. With the new Chief Justice, the majority of the bench will be appointed under Muizzu.
