Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has launched a disciplinary investigation against a magistrate that suspended a remand order issued by the High Corut of the Maldives.
JSC stated Addu City Hithadhoo Magistrate Radiuddin Ahmed is under investigation for a violation of the Judges’ Code of Conduct by suspending a High Court order to remand an individual and issuing a press statement over the order. JSC stated a committee has been formed to investigate the case.
Magistrate Radiuddin Ahmed had issued an order to release an individual charged with drug trafficking, who had been ordered by the High Court to be placed under remand until the end of the trial. However, the Judicature Act of the Maldives does not allow a lower court to overturn or suspend an order by a superior court. The Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has decided to appeal the order by the Magistrate Court.