Parliament Approves Abdul Ghanee Mohamed as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Abdul Ghanee Mohamed signs the official document of his appointment to the Supreme Court on 28 June 2018. | Photo: President’s office
The Parliament has approved the appointment of Abdul Ghanee Mohamed as the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Maldives. The vote took place during today’s sitting, with 62 Members of Parliament voting in favour of his appointment and none opposing.
Ghanee’s nomination was submitted to Parliament by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, following the retirement of former Chief Justice Muathasim Adnan last month. The Parliament had referred the nomination to the Judiciary Committee for review during its sitting yesterday. The nomination was reviewed by the Judiciary Committee, which submitted its report to today’s session before the final vote took place.
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The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) had shortlisted three candidates for the position: Ghanee, Family Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed, and former High Court Chief Justice Shujau Usman. Ghanee topped the list based on the JSC’s evaluation.
Ghanee was first appointed to the Supreme Court bench in June 2018. He had previously served as a judge at both the Civil Court and the High Court. However, he was dismissed from the Supreme Court in September 2019 during the administration of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). His removal followed a parliamentary vote, subsequent to a Judicial Service Commission inquiry into several decisions issued by the Supreme Court bench at the time, including the disqualification of 12 lawmakers and intervention in JSC proceedings related to bribery allegations against then-Justice Abdulla Didi.
After President Muizzu took office, Ghanee was appointed to the Tax Appeal Tribunal. He also applied for two recent Supreme Court vacancies, although those positions were filled by High Court Judge Mohamed Saleem and former Judge Abdulla Hameed.
