JSC: Person who sent lunch to Justice Mahaz questionable

Questioning of some of the staffers at Justice Mahaz Ali Zahir’s section uncovered information that makes the person who sent him lunch questionable, states Judicial Service Commission (JSC), which has opened an investigation against him for possible misconduct based on the allegation he accepted a meal sent by former Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, despite being on the Supreme Court bench in charge of an appeal involving him.

JSC had decided to open the investigation against Mahaz on Wednesday. And on Thursday, Mahaz issued a statement in which he claimed he had paid for the lunch himself, and had the receipt to prove it.

JSC issued a second statement Thursday, in which they called Mahaz’s statement misleading.

JSC said they opened the investigation following a complaint they received that Mahaz accepted and enjoyed a meal sent by a supporter of an appellant in a case he heard, in celebration of the ruling in the case, and participated in the celebration.

According to Mahaz, the meal in question was lunch he bought for himself and other justices on November 30, 2021 – the day the Supreme Court acquitted Yameen of a previous conviction for money laundering.

Mahaz had presided over the three-justice bench which heard the appeal.

JSC said they had sent multiple letters to the Supreme Court seeking to clarify information regarding the complaint lodged against Mahaz.

The commission said Mahaz repeatedly declined to clarify information, other than to acknowledge a meal was brought to court that day. The commission said Mahaz also deliberately refused to respond to efforts by the commission to clarify how the meal was arranged and how the payment was made.

However, whether Mahaz refused to disclose the information despite having the information and documents with him will become clear once the commission’s investigation is complete, said JSC.

JSC said they had summoned some of the staff working in his section to clarify information regarding the meal, and that some of the information collected from them gave substance to complaint lodged against him.

JSC said it therefore decided to conduct the investigation because they found it needful to reach the truth of the allegation.

JSC said that Mahaz had been given the chance to share information relating to the complaint during the information clarification stage, and that he had failed to share the information, and instead chose to make his stand known via the press.

JSC said Supreme Court justices set an example for the entire judiciary, and must uphold the highest ethical and disciplinary standards.

We make decisions regarding complaints lodged with us without considering the level of judges, by threatening them all the same, said the commission.