The Chief Justice is doing ‘whatever he can’ to stay in position, he must be removed: Lawyer Mahfooz

Human Rights lawyer Mahfooz Saeed has said Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed must be removed from office.

He made the remark while speaking on RaajjeTV’s Fala Surukhee programme on Saturday night, adding the People’s Majlis must review how Saeed was appointed to the position in the first place, following the removal of former Chief Justice Faiz Hussain.

He also said that Saeed should only speak to the people, as the Chief Justice, after the case is reviewed by Parliament.

Mahfooz further criticized Chief Justice Saeed’s speech at the ceremony held to mark the anniversary of the day Maldives embraced Islam, where he continued to praise President Abdulla Yameen.

He said that what we are seeing now is Saeed doing ‘whatever he can’ to defend his position as Chief Justice, ‘as he was not appointed to the position under set procedures’.

Noting that the Chief Justice ‘must be removed,’ Mahfooz emphasized that Saeed has violated Article 29 (a) of the Judicature Act by ‘gathering a number of politicians’ and speaking in such a manner.

He added that Judicial Service Commission (JSC) must investigate this, and forward it to the People’s Majlis.

Mahfooz, who is still under suspension and banned from even attending any court hearings, called on Chief Justice Saeed to resign via his twitter account last week, adding that he has ‘failed to uphold the fundamental principles of justice’.

Mahfooz is one of the 56 lawyers suspended on September 10, for who signing a petition calling for the judiciary's reform, and is among the 17 lawyers that are still under suspension. The Supreme Court banned him from attending court hearings earlier this December, with the court saying that the lawyer is under investigation ‘for consistently violating set principles’.