Retired South African judge assisting with judicial reform

The Attorney General office is working with Retired Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa Johann Kriegler to conduct an assessment on the Maldivian judiciary.

Kriegler started the assessment last Saturday and will continue working as a consultant until June 2, the AG office said in a statement Monday.

The retired judge will meet with state institutions,  independent commissions, civil society actors and legal experts.

The main objective of the assessment is to identify difficulties in enforcing laws, the AG office said. Kriegler will also review policies on the appointment and penalisation of judges and examine the judicial structure to study how institutions function.

Kriegler, who served eight years in the Constitutional Court, will submit his report on August 29.

The assessment will be the first step of the new administration’s efforts to reform the judiciary, the AG office noted. 

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court unveiled its own plans to reform the judiciary.

A five-year roadmap was proposed after the Maldivian Democratic Party secured a super-majority of parliament with judicial reform as a key pledge of its campaign.

Ahead of the polls, Chief Justice Didi criticised the MDP’s plans to curtail the powers of the Supreme Court.