Parliament has unanimously approved the appointment of High Court Justice Mohamed Saleem and former judge Abdulla Hameed to the Supreme Court.

In todays vote, 61 MPs voted in favor of Saleem’s appointment, while 60 voted for Hameed. No members voted against either judges. Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs also supported both appointments.

The Judiciary Committee had earlier endorsed both candidates, with support from MDP members.

The two Supreme Court vacancies were open for applications for one week from 17 May. Twelve candidates applied, and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) interviewed them, awarding the highest scores to Saleem and Hameed.

JSC, which advises the President on Supreme Court appointments, recommended the candidates in order of their interview scores. Under the constitution, Supreme Court judges are appointed by the President with parliament approval.

Justice Saleem, who topped the JSC ranking, served as a legal officer at the High Court for 12 years before being appointed as a judge in 2022.

Hameed served as a High Court judge from 2007 to 2022 and was also a JSC member during his tenure.

He was removed in 2022 over allegations of purchasing government-subsidized flats allocated to judges during former president Abdulla Yameen’s administration.