Judges were appointed unlawfully, says attorney

Attorney Moosa Siraj has said that judges in the Maldives were appointed unconstitutionally.

Siraj, who represents former vice president Ahmed Adeeb, said this on RaajjeTV’s Fala Surukhee show on Thursday night.

Siraj said that the judges were appointed without following procedures set by the constitution.

He said that the new constitution granted numerous rights and made sweeping changes to every sector, except at the courthouse, and because this, he said he questions the legitimacy of the current judges.

He emphasized the need to reform the courthouse by appointing new judges and said that the composition of the Judicial Service Commission, which appoints judges, also needs to change in order to hold the judges accountable and penalize them accordingly.

Siraj also said that he supports open trials in order to increase public trust of the courthouse.