Supreme Court has accused foreign consultant Johann Kriegler of threatening the justices during their meeting.

Kriegler, a retired South African justice, was appointed as a consultant by the Attorney General’s office and began his assessment late last month.

In a press release, the Supreme Court stated that during their meeting with Krieglar on May 29, the justices had briefed him on the current condition of the legal sector, and their work to solve the various issues in the judiciary with the relevant authorities.

The Supreme Court stated that Kriegler was also briefed on their action plan to guarantee independence of judges, and stop political influence, intimidation, and defamation. However, the court stated that Kriegler ignored the information and instead told the justices to hand over their resignation, as there was a plan to dismiss them.

The court stated that Kriegler told the justices that the courthouse would be overhauled even if it means changing the Constitution and that the current conflict between the courthouse and political powers will result in a huge loss for the courthouse.

The Supreme court added that Kriegler had also told the justices that he would recommend that all Maldivian judges be dismissed.

In the press release, the Supreme Court criticized Kriegler for coming to their meeting with pre-conceived notions and refusing to hold a discussion. The court also accused him of falling for misinformation and being uninterested in reforming the courthouse.