Criminal Court Judge Ismail Shafeeu and Abdul Rauf Ibrahim, who contested the last parliamentary elections on the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) ticket, have been appointed as High Court judges.

Two posts on the High Court bench became vacant following the retirement of Justice Mohamed Niyaz and the resignation of Justice Mohamed Faisal. The two resigned after the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) started investigating cases.

Nineteen candidates applied for the vacant positions before the deadline.

Rauf, who was appointed as a judge by the JSC, has previously served as a High Court judge. He resigned from the judiciary in 2022 after being convicted of misconduct and sent to Parliament for dismissal.

After resigning from the judiciary, Rauf contested the 2024 parliamentary elections on the PNC ticket for Keyodhoo constituency. However, he lost the election to the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidate, Mohamed Niushad.

Rauf was among the names sent by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in 2019 for appointment to the Supreme Court. However, the JSC did not recommend his appointment after three complaints were filed against him.

Shafeeu, who was appointed as a High Court judge, has been serving as a Criminal Court judge since September 2021. He previously served as a public prosecutor at the Prosecutor General's (PG) office.