Graft watchdog's chief warned top court judges against "coup" of Feb 1

President of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Hassan Luthufee, has said that he warned Supreme Court's Judge Ali Hameed and Judicial Administrator Hassan Saeed not to proceed with the alleged conspiracy to overthrow the government. The statement was revealed among the leaked documents of police investigations into the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on February 1.

The ACC chief said that he was at Schwack Cinema, watching the Hindi movie “Padmavaat” when the landmark February 1 court ruling was issued. Luthufee had messaged and called Judge Hameed and Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed upon receiving the news. However, neither of the two had responded to his calls or messages.

Luthfee’s leaked secret testimony further revealed that he had gone to dine with Justice Hameed and Administrator Saeed on several occasions, but that they had never discussed information on the landmark ruling.

According to Luthufee, Saeed was a noticeably patriotic and intellectual man, and Luthufee believed that the chief justice was pressured into issuing the ruling as it was unlikely of his character. However, Luthufee noted that he believes Judge Hameed to have proceeded with the conspiracy despite the ACC chief’s warning to avoid displeasing President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

President Yameen had declared a state of emergency in the country on February 5, for a period of 15-days, following the unprecedented ruling by the Supreme Court which ordered the release of nine high-profile political prisoners, and also reinstated the 12 lawmakers who were unseated last July for floor-crossing. The emergency was extended by 30 days in an extraordinary parliament sitting when the initial 15-day period expired.

Chief Justice Abdullah Saeed and Judge Ali Hameed were arrested under the state of emergency, after the Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling.

Judge Hameed was charged with accepting bribes and obstructing justice, while Chief Justice Saeed has been charged with attempting to orchestrate an act of terrorism, accepting bribes, obstructing justice, as well as obstructing government functions. The police had also earlier claimed that Judge Saeed accepted USD 2.4 million in bribes to aid in a coup plot.

They have both been remanded until the end of their ongoing trials.