Mahfooz is latest victim of lawyer suspensions
MPS informed Mahfooz of his suspension without declaring a specific reason
Lawyer Mahfooz Saeed on RaajjeTV\'s \'60 minutes\' program
Prominent lawyer Mahfooz Saeed has been suspended under one of the Maldives Police Force’s investigations.
In a tweet posted in the late hours of Thursday night, the lawyer mentions that the police had informed him that he has been suspended from his attorney rights and he can no longer practice law on his ongoing cases.
Mahfooz added that a reason had not been declared.
Mahfooz is representing of many arrested under the state of emergency decree including Justice Ali Hameed, Dhiggaru MP Faris Maumoon and Opposition MDP’s national council member Ahmed Adh’ham alongside other significant figures in the political sphere.
While the Department of Judicial Administration run under the Supreme Court usually holds power to suspend lawyers from practicing law, the police’s sudden dismissal of Mahfooz’s attorney rights raise questions, especially since it was Mahfooz who brought the matter of prisoners’ hunger strike in Dhoonidhoo island into the spotlight.
Mahfooz’s suspension comes at a time where there is heavy criticism on the suspension of prominent lawyers including Ali Hussain and Hussain Shameem who is a part of incarcerated former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s legal team.
Lawyer Ali Hussain was suspended on the indictment of carrying out acts that question the authenticity of Supreme Court rulings on the 13th of March, precisely a month after the annulment of the first one.
Likewise, Shameem was suspended for a second time on February 22 after his first suspension in 2015 was revoked in January. Allegations against him are similar to that of Hussain’s.
