Department of Judicial Administration (DJA) has revealed Supreme Court of Maldives did not instruct to suspend 56 lawyers for signing a petition expressing dismay regarding the judicial sector and urging changes.
Answering questions on the suspension of the lawyers in 2017, Judicial Administrator Dr. Abdulla Nazeer told the Parliamentary Committee on Judiciary the lawyers were suspended before he assumed office. Nazeer expressed action against lawyers, including taking statements and suspending, are conducted following instructions from the Supreme Court, via a written document.
However, the judicial administrator revealed 56 lawyers were suspended for 2 months, without a written instruction from the Supreme Court. Citing an internal audit, Nazeer said no documents were found at DJA regarding a Supreme Court instructing a mass suspension. Referring to the available documents, he said the suspensions were signed off by former Judicial Administrator Hassan Saeed, who have had close links with the judges on the Supreme Court bench until February 1.
Meanwhile, speaking at the committee meeting, Chancellor at the Judicial Academy Ahmed Majid said DJA does not have a mandate to suspend lawyers without an instruction from the Supreme Court.
Following a petition submitted to the Supreme Court over concerns on the judicial sector on September 10, 2017, DJA issued a statement suspending the signatories of the petition. DJA described the petition as an instrument that undermines judges and courts of law and disrupts the power and authority of the judiciary, one of the three pillars of the state.