A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ICJ had agreed to work with the government on “a sustainable basis” to strengthen the judiciary and incorporate international standards into national law and practice, and build public trust in the legal institution.

The ICJ mission will be led by Dr Param Cumaraswamy and Dr Leandro Despouy. Dr Cumaraswamy was UN Special Rapporteur from 1994 to 2003 and has held roles including President of the Law Association of Asia and Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the International Bar Association.

Dr Despouy was the UN Special Rapporteur from 2003-2009 and was previously the President of the UN Human Rights Commission.

The Foreign Ministry described the pair “as two of the world’s foremost experts on matters pertaining to the judicial sector and the separation and balance of powers between the judiciary and the other branches of government.”

During their visit in September the pair will decide the terms of reference for the ICJ’s engagement, and “gather information about the challenges to judicial independence and integrity, and report back with findings and recommendations.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Ahmed Shaheed said that while the country had taken “important steps” to increase independence and trust in the judiciary through parliament’s appointment of a Supreme Court last week, “Rome wasn’t built in a day and it is important that we, as a country and as a government, think long-term.”

Speaking to Minivan News earlier this month, the President’s member on the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), Aishath Velezinee, called for international arbitration of the judiciary, particularly disputes regarding the reappointment of judges under standards she argued were unconstitutional “and would deprive the nation of an honest judiciary.”

“We need an impartial investigation of what is going on. And I believe the Maldives does not have anyone able to conduct an impartial investigation. We need assistance,” she said.