K. Male'
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09 Feb 2025 | Sun 14:20
The Supreme Court of Maldives
The Supreme Court of Maldives
Supreme Court of Maldives
Government influence
MDP condemns gov’t’s attempts to influence Supreme Court
MDP is committed to stand against any attempt by the incumbent to influence courts
The Supreme Court being free from influence was one of the biggest achievements of the MDP administration
Removing Supreme Court justices at a time the court is working to regain public trust in the judiciary is a backward step

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has condemned the government's attempts to influence the Supreme Court of the Maldives.

In a statement released on Saturday, the main opposition party said that the government is working to influence several decisions of the Supreme Court by attempting to remove some of its justices and exerting influence through other means.

MDP’s statement goes on to read that the government's main objective seems to be to influence the case submitted to the Supreme Court of Maldives by former MP of Kendhoo constituency, Lawyer Ali Hussain, seeking to declare unconstitutional the amendment to the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives that allows for the removal of parliamentary seats when desired by political parties.

Highlighting that plans are already in place to remove three Supreme Court justices, the main opposition party revealed that the government has also decided to appoint the current Prosecutor General, Abbas Shareef, and two individuals currently holding political positions in the incumbent administration to fill the vacant positions.

Further noting that making the Supreme Court free from influence was one of the biggest achievements of the MDP administration, the statement stressed that removing Supreme Court justices at a time the court is working to regain public trust in the judiciary is a backward step in the efforts to achieve a fair and trusted judiciary.

MDP has condemned the government's efforts to remove some Supreme Court justices and called on the administration to immediately halt these efforts.

The main opposition party went on to assure all Maldivian citizens that the party will continue to stand against any attempt by the incumbent administration to influence the courts of the Maldives.

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