Lawyer claims Azmiralda's removal proposal rooted in fabrications

Supreme Court Judge Dr Azmiralda Zahir's lawyer has alleged today that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC)'s proposal to remove her from office is based on fabrications, with facts disregarded.

JSC proposed to parliament the removal of Azmiralda alleging that she exerted influence over Criminal Court judges through Supreme Court Judge Mahaz Ali Zahir to bring about the release of her husband, Dr Ismail Latheef, who had then been arrested. JSC also proposed the dismissal of Judge Mahaz in relation to the same case.

In a press conference held today by legal representatives of Azmiralda, lawyer Ibrahim Shameel said that the entire case had been created out of fabrications and that JSC had misrepresented the evidence submitted by Azmiralda. He further said that the case had been concluded with the intention of reaching a specific outcome and the report JSC compiled includes factual errors in some instances.

"Where clear evidence was presented, JSC set aside facts and the law and made an extremely unjust decision. We do not believe there is any basis for allegations against the judge in this case. The JSC, in reaching their decision, relied more on make believe than logic," Shameel said.

Shameel said that Azmiralda and Mahaz spoke for the first time on that day around sunset, hours after her husband's release. He said that although evidence supporting this had been submitted, JSC's report was compiled mixing up the facts. He asserted that there was no reason for Azmiralda to attempt to influence the Criminal Court judges through Mahaz when she had already been aware of her husband's release when Mahaz made the call to the lower court judge.

"Why would she try to release a person who had already been released?"

Shameel went on to state that JSC had decided to dismiss Azmiralda after changing the initial allegations they raised against her. At first, the allegation had been that Azmiralda herself had called a Criminal Court judge and attempted to exert influence. However, this was later changed to read that Azmiralda had attempted to influence judges through Mahaz, Shameel said.

"The allegation was changed, and the Judge was not given the opportunity to respond to the new allegation. Nor did they say why the allegation had been changed," he said.

Further, Shameel claims that members on the investigative committee had been involved in reaching JSC's decision. The request to speak at Parliament's Judiciary Committee has been made due to JSC's unjust actions, he said.