Former Chief Justice Faiz says President’s proposed reforms will restore administrative independence of judiciary

Former Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz Hussain says he believes the judicial reforms announced by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Monday will restore the administrative independence of the Maldivian judiciary.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, President Muizzu announced plans to amend existing legislation to reconstitute the Judicial Council, and free the Department of Judicial Administration (DJA) from under the control of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

Faiz, who was removed from the Supreme Court at the recommendations of the JSC in 2014 following controversial legislative amendments to downsize the court’s bench from seven to five judges, wrote on Facebook on Tuesday morning that removing the DJA from under the control of the JSC would restore administrative independence of the judiciary.

“I support the President’s vision to have the DJA back in the hands of the judiciary. If the law is revised as envisioned by the President and the institution is back under the judiciary, it will restore administrative independence of the judiciary,” he wrote.

At his weekly press briefing on Monday, President Muizzu said the 2019 amendment to the Judicial Service Act that placed the DJA under the oversight of the JSC had enabled direct influence over the judiciary.

He said he believes that several key changes must be made to reform the judiciary; reinstating the Judicial Council, and hold the DJA as well as the chief judicial administrator accountable to the chief justice and the Judicial Council.

He also said he plans to reverse legislative amendments that granted greater powers to administrators than chief judges of lower courts.