It’s not only political prisoners who need a fair judiciary – businesses need it too
Op-ed by Sonu Shivdasani, CEO and co-founder of Soneva resorts.
01 Sep 2019, 9:00 AM
We have all seen the images and read the news reports: critics jailed for speaking out against the government; bags stuffed with cash allegedly making their way to rotten justices; gangsters and the courts apparently in cahoots; a former president dragged along the ground to a kangaroo court trial.
Countless international observers have stated that the Maldivian judiciary is politicised and regularly fails to dispense justice. That’s putting it politely. At long last, though, with the ruling party in control of the executive and legislative branches, the Judicial Services Commission has the power and inclination to clean up the justice system, expose corruption, and hold judges to account.
It is not just political activists who can breathe a sigh of relief. Maldivian businesses and foreign investors also desperately need judicial reform, and a competent judiciary that dispassionately upholds the rule of law.
My wife Eva and I opened our first resort, Soneva Fushi, in 1995 when the Maldives was not considered a luxury travel destination. Over this period of time, we have seen up close and personal the damage a weak judiciary has done to the Maldivian economy. Firstly, the failure of the legal system to support the banking community has created damaging knock-on effects to the economy.
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