The government of the Maldives has allocated the former COVID-19 facility building in Hulhumale' for the operation of the Criminal Court of the Maldives. The Department of Judicial Administration said the Criminal Court is in the process of relocating to the building.
Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has decided to halt the work at the building of the Criminal Court of the Maldives due to its instability. The building where the Criminal Court is located is in a very dilapidated condition and an inspection had been conducted by relevant experts. After the inspection, the relevant technical experts have advised that it is not safe to use the building any further. Therefore, the four-storey building will be temporarily closed and hold court hearings online, implement a work-from-home policy and switch to shift duties.
The Criminal Court is operating at the former State Trading Organisation (STO) building near the local market in Male’ City. The Criminal Court was moved from the Justice Building to the current building in 2015 and the court personnel has since made complaints regarding the small size of the rooms in the building.
Additionally, the old building has decayed to the point where it shows signs of wear and tear. Incidents have also occurred in which rainwater had leaked inside rooms or some parts of the building fell off, causing some hearings to be cancelled.