Secret testimonies: ACC chief says warned against issuing February 1 court order

Hassan Luthufee, the President of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), said he warned Supreme Court Justice Ali Hameed Department of Judicial Administration (DJA)’s Administrator Hassan Saeed not to go through with the plan to overthrow the government through the Supreme Court.

Luthufee’s leaked secret testimonies shows him saying that he had gone to lunch with Justice Hameed and Administrator Saeed numerous times but that they had never discussed the impending Supreme Court ruling on February 1 which ordered the release of political prisoners and the reinstatement of opposition MPs.

Luthufee said he was at Schwack Cinema in Hulhumale’ watching the Hindi movie Padmaavat when the court ruling was issued and had messaged Hameed and Saeed immediately after. But his messages and subsequent phone calls went unanswered. However, Luthufee said Hameed had called him back on later that day and talked about government’s developmental projects and how they had brought in this administration.

Refusing to abide by the Supreme Court order, President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency on February 5 and arrested Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and Justice Ali Hameed that night at the courthouse and charged them with conspiring to overthrow the government. Judicial Administrator Saeed was also arrested and charged with bribery and obstruction of justice for hiding out during a police manhunt.

On February 4, a day prior to their arrests, police released a news statement saying that family members of Chief Justice Saeed and Justice Hameed had made transactions for apartment buildings and that testimonies were given that indicated Administrator Saeed had bribed them.