President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has forwarded the nominations for the Supreme Court bench for the consideration of the Parliament of the Maldives.
The president has nominated Chief Judge of Criminal Court Ali Rasheed Hussain and Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim for the bench of Supreme Court. The president sought the counsel of Judicial Service Commission (JSC) over the two nominees on August 6. The nominations have now forwarded to the parliament after JSC reviewed the names.
Ali Rasheed Hussain is currently the Chief Judge at the Criminal Court of the Maldives. He is the first judge to issue a death sentence under the new constitution, which was ratified in 2008. He has presided over many high-profile criminal trials, including the money laundering trial of former President Abdulla Yameen.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim is a renowned attorney who has worked in the legal sector for many years. He currently works at the law firm Premier Chambers.
As per the third amendment to the Judicature Act, which was ratified in July 2019, the Supreme Court must be composed of 7 judges. Currently, there are five judges at the apex court consisting of Chief Justice Muthasim Adan, Husnu Suood, Aisha Shujune Mohamed, Dr. Azmiralda Zahir and Mahaz Ali Zahir.