JSC investigation committee seeks to impeach Didi

Judicial Service Commission (JSC)’s investigation committee is seeking to impeach suspended Supreme Court Justice Abdulla Didi.

The commission said that it decided to accept the commission’s report, seeking to submit an impeachment motion against the justice to the People’s Majlis, at Monday’s meeting.

It added that Didi has been given a 30-day period, to submit “in writing any information that needs to be given to the commission,” as per Article 30 (Judge’s Report on the Report of the Investigation Committee) of the Judicial Service Act.

According to 30 (a) 3, the recipient of the complaint can also “express the desire to be present at the commission with or without a lawyer to give direct presentation in response to the act.”

The 30-day window to submit these will start on Tuesday.

Didi is alleged to have taken a USD one million bribe in 2015 to sentence former President Mohamed Nasheed to 13 years in jail. He has also been accused of using his position as a top court judge to gain undue influence over others.

The Judicial Service Commission suspended Didi in June, after the police service informed it of an investigation into Didi.

While the Supreme Court has since issued a stay order in the case, JSC formed a committee to investigate the five misconduct allegations submitted to the commission.

Didi had requested for the committee’s meeting to be held in public.

According to a letter read out at this meeting held on June 20, police’s top suspect -Suspect One- in the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) graft case had testified to having given bribes to various judges, including Didi, to alter the rulings in cases involving politicians.

A 'Witness One' is to have testified to having delivered the money to Didi, and had kept details of these transactions on his phone. Two of his phones have since been handed over to the police, who is to have extracted the information through a forensic analysis.

In addition, it noted that Suspect One had approached Didi, after interactions with a known criminal, seeking to release suspects arrested in the abduction of journalist Ahmed Rilwan.

The police noted that Didi had released Mohamed Suaid after this exchange, and facilitated the release of Abdulla Haisham.

In return for these, Didi is to have sought employment for family members including post of deputy ambassador to Malaysia, from Suspect One.

Police further added that evidence and testimonies in the investigation shows that Didi and Suspect One are close acquaintances.

Didi traveled to Malaysia on June 28, after seeking approval from JSC. He is expected to return before July 12.