Case against Dr. Azmiralda closed as no evidence found of abuse of power
8 އޮކްޓޯބަރު 2026 | ބުރާސްފަތި 08:23The police have closed the investigation into former Supreme Court Justice Dr. Azmiralda Zahir and filed the case after concluding there was no criminal conduct regarding allegations of official misconduct. The PG Office has also decided not to pursue charges in the matter, which originally stemmed from ACC allegations raised while she was presiding over a constitutional case involving significant government interests.
Former Supreme Court Justice Dr. Azmiralda Zahir. | RaajjeMV
The police have stated that there is no evidence of criminal conduct in the case against former Supreme Court Justice Dr. Azmiralda Zahir, who was accused of misusing her official position.
The police investigation into allegations that Dr. Azmiralda misused her official position has concluded that there is no evidence of criminal conduct. According to the official case closure document, an analysis of the evidence and facts gathered during the investigation revealed no grounds to believe that a criminal offense had been committed.
The document states that the case has been filed and closed by the service, following the Prosecutor General’s Office's decision not to pursue charges.
This case originated from a notification sent by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), alleging that a criminal investigation was underway against three Supreme Court justices: Dr. Azmiralda Zahir, Mahaz Ali Zahir, and Husnu Al Suood. Following this notice, which was received about a year and a half ago on February 27 while the Supreme Court was presiding over a high-stakes constitutional matter involving government interests, the JSC immediately moved to suspend the three justices.
Subsequently, while Justice Suood resigned voluntarily on March 6, Justices Azmiralda and Mahaz were removed from the bench following a parliamentary vote on May 14. Their dismissal drew widespread concern, with many critics asserting that the two justices were not afforded an adequate opportunity to respond to the allegations against them.
Notably, while the investigation was initiated by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the case was handled by the Maldives Police Service. Reports indicate that the ACC and the police conducted a joint operation regarding this matter in 2026.
The three judges were suspended while they were presiding over a constitutional challenge filed at the Supreme Court against a recent amendment, which mandates that Members of Parliament lose their seats if they switch political parties. In response to the move, Justices Husnu Al Suood and Azmiralda Zahir alleged that the government attempted to obstruct the constitutional case by exerting undue influence over the Supreme Court. However, the government has categorically denied all such allegations.
