JSC 'highly recommends' Dhiyana, Mahaz to Supreme Court

Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has counselled the President that former attorney general Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed and Drug Court judge Mahaz Ali Zahir were ‘highly recommended’ for appointment to the vacant seat at the Supreme Court.

JSC confirmed last Monday that the commission, following its evaluation of the candidates to Supreme Court, found both Dhiyana and Mahaz to be highly recommended to fill the vacancy.

The commission has also recommended three more candidates; current High Court judges Mohamed Niyaz, Ali Sameer and Shuaib Hassan Zakariyya.

The commission presented the President with its recommendations following interviews of eligible candidates conducted by one of the commission’s sub-committees.

The vacancy at the Supreme Court was left following the impeachment of former Supreme Court justice Abdulla Didi on multiple counts of ethical violations.

Candidates need to win approval of the Parliament before they can be appointed to the Supreme Court.

Former deputy prosecutor general Mariyam Nihayath, who applied for the vacancy, was not on the shortlist sent by the JSC to the President.  Another candidate, High Court judge Hassan Ali also did not make it to the shortlist.

Hassan Ali is currently under suspension by JSC following findings by the Commission on Disappearances and Deaths in its investigation into the 2014 abduction and murder of journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla.

Hassan Ali had been serving as Controller General of Immigration at the time.