Mahaz: Never bowed to influence from within and outside of Supreme Court

Mahaz Ali Zahir, who was ousted from his post as a Supreme Court Justice by the Parliament on Wednesday, has expressed pride in never bowing to influence from within and outside of Supreme Court, adding he looks forward to much happier days ahead.

A ruling PNC-dominated Parliament, on Wednesday, voted to dismiss Mahaz and Dr. Azmiralda Zahir, two of the three Supreme Justices suspended by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on February 26th, despite serious concerns regarding lack of due process and procedural fairness in the disciplinary proceedings against them by the Commission.

The Parliament voted to dismiss the justices without granting them the opportunity to present their defense amid international condemnation, including from the United Nations as well.

Notably, Parliament’s Counsel General Fathimath Filza had also expressed concern regarding JSC’s decision, citing it to be unlawful. However, her counsel was rejected by both the Judiciary Committee and the floor where PNC holds majority.

Shortly after he was ousted, Mahaz, via a Facebook post, expressed satisfaction with the work he had undertaken as a Supreme Court justice, describing they were carried out with interest.

“I am happy about coming to this point without bowing to any influence from with and outside of Supreme Court. By the will of Almighty Allah, the coming days will be much happier,” he added.

In his post, Mahaz also thanked everyone who encouraged him and all lawyers, journalists, organizations and members of the general public who spoke out against the injustice that was taking place.

Mahaz was appointed to the Supreme Court on November 4, 2019.

Mahaz earned his LLB from the Maldives College of Higher Education (now Maldives National University) in 2007 and completed his LLM at Malaysia’s International Islamic University (IIUM) in 2010. He has previously served as a judge at Drug Court played an integral role in the development of Drug Court and formulation of the regulations required by the Drug Act.