Justice nominees, bomb threat and CEO compensation

After evaluating 12 candidates, the JSC decided to advise the president to nominate former High Court judge Abdulla Hameed and High Court judge Mohamed Saleem to the Supreme Court. The pair scored the highest marks after interviews. But JSC members debated Saleem's eligibility with 12 years as the court's legal officer and three years as a judge. The constitution requires seven years as either a judge or a lawyer but Saleem had never advocated in court, dissenting members argued.

Former MIFCO CEO Dr Vitaly Lyubimov, who was dismissed in March just three months into his tenure, filed a complaint with the Employment Tribunal, seeking US$ 42,000 in compensation for alleged termination without the required three-month notice.

A United Airlines flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles with Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef onboard was forced to turn back following a bomb threat last week. He was in the US to attend an event for the Blue Planet Alliance Fellowship Programme.

The Velana International Airport’s new passenger terminal will open on July 26, the airport operator revealed. The transfer of operations from the current terminal will take three months, the MACL CTO said at an aviation forum. The long-delayed expansion resolves a key bottleneck, boosting passenger capacity to 7.5 million. 

The Local Councils Association submitted a formal complaint to the President’s Office, after a year of unsuccessful attempts to secure a meeting with the president. The association asked for consultation on proposed decentralisation reforms, including the reduction in the number of council members for small islands.

HDC launched a portal for whistleblowers to submit concerns over corruption, bribery, misconduct and misuse of official capacity.

A 75-bed new multi-specialty surgical wing opened at IGMH.  

The central bank granted pre-operational approvals for two prospective banks: BIC Bank and Maldives Finance and Leasing Bank.  

Only 3,219 out of 8,318 social housing units in Hulhumalé regularly pay rent to HDC, which was owed MVR 728 million (US$ 47 million) by February, according to information obtained by Sun. 

Contrary to an official response to an RTI submission, the Thoddoo island council had requested paving roads with multi-coloured bricks as did other islands with local tourism, the infrastructure minister said.

Maldivian Hajj pilgrims were welcomed with roses as the president hailed the Makkah Route Initiative, which clears Saudi immigration procedures prior to departure, calling it an "honour" to be among the first eight countries to participate.

The HPA reported a rise in cases of the common cold, influenza, and Covid-19 between April and May compared to the same period last year. Dengue cases declined over the same month.

Residents of Minicoy protested against new regulations to drop Mahal – a dialect of the Maldivian language Dhivehi – from the school curriculum. The Lakshadweep administration's move is part of Indian ruling party BJP’s three-language formula.

The homeland security ministry invited eligible police officers to apply for the vacant police commissioner post before a June 2 deadline.

Former president Nasheed denied a Raajje TV report about an alleged phone call from Chief Justice Muthasim Adnan before the Supreme Court decided to accept a constitutional challenge to an anti-defection amendment. According to the report, a complaint was made to the JSC.