Chief Justice Muthasim retires after nearly a decade at Supreme Court

Chief Justice of Maldives Ahmed Muthasim Adnan retired on Monday, after nearly a decade of service on and off at the Supreme Court.

Muthasim, 60, who had been serving as the Chief Justice for the last six years, filed for retirement back in May.

In a statement on Monday, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) announced the decision to formalize his retirement.

Muthasim received an LL.B. from the University of Buckingham, England, in 1992 and an M.Phil. from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, in 1994.

He returned to Maldives and served as Director Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1994 - 2001. In 2001, he was appointed the Dean of the newly formed Faculty of Sharia and Law of the now Maldives National University, where he served till 2005. From 2005 – 2010, he was a Partner of Clipper & Galleon, a law firm in the Maldives. He also served as a member of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, the Law Commission of the Maldives and the Foreign Investment Board of the Maldives.

In 2010, then-President Mohamed Nasheed nominated him as one of the first Justices of the newly formed Supreme Court of the Maldives.

He served as a Justice of the Supreme Court till the end of 2014, when he was removed by the Parliament following the passage of controversial laws to downsize the size of the court’s bench from seven to five.

In 2019, Muthasim returned to the Supreme Court after he was appointed as the Chief Justice by then-President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

He served at the Supreme Court on-and-off for nine years and seven months.

Muthasim’s decision to file for retirement has been marred by controversy at it came amid intense turmoil within the Maldivian judiciary.

On February 26, Supreme Court judges Dr. Azmiralda Zahir, Mahaz Ali Zahir and Husnu Al-Suood were suspended by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), citing an ongoing investigation by the against them by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). All three were hearing a case challenging the controversial move by the ruling PNC to write anti-defection clauses into the Maldivian constitution.  It also came shortly after the ruling PNC used its supermajority in the Parliament to push through amendments to the Judicature Act to downsize the Supreme Court bench from seven to five justices - a bill that was later tabled following public backlash.

Suood resigned from the top court in protest of JSC’s decision, and the commission later opened misconduct cases against Azmiralda and Mahaz, accusing them of conspiring to influence the Criminal Court. Azmiralda and Mahaz - both of whom claim that the allegations against them are baseless and that the investigations by the JSC were tainted by the denial of due process to them - were dismissed by the Parliament on May 14.

Muthasim had remained silent throughout their suspension and dismissal, prompting many to question whether he was fulfilling his responsibilities as the Chief Justice. He had submitted a letter to the JSC amid the turmoil on May 8, informing the commission of his decision to retire.

Justice Abdulla Hameed, who along with Justice Mohamed Saleem replaced Azmiralda and Mahaz at the Supreme Court in June, has been appointed as Acting Chief Justice until an official appointment is made.