Authorities must act against ‘influenced’ judges

Authorities should take action against judges who have admitted to following the orders of Ali Hameed, who has been accused of instructing specific rulings to be passed.

Secret witness testimonies related to the terror trials of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, his son Faris and two top judges including Hameed were leaked on Twitter earlier this week.

Police have confirmed the testimonies are authentic and say they are investigating.

Judges Mohamed Haleem and Adam Arif testified about working under “influence” to issue rulings.

Former attorney general Dhiyana Saeed said Haleem and Arif had been discredited and lacked the integrity expected of their office, local media reported her as saying.

She also said neither judge should preside over cases.

Saeed is the second former attorney general in as many days to condemn the pair.

“Those judges who destroyed the integrity of the judiciary by acting on unlawful orders from Ali Hameed must immediately resign,” tweeted Husnu Suood on Tuesday. “It’s immoral for them to remain as judges. We will not rest the matter till due action is taken by JSC (Judicial Services Commission) against them.”

The judiciary was previously hammered by the UN over its politicisation, inadequate qualification of judges, and lack of conformity to international fair trial standards.