Judge Hameed to head Supreme Court operations until a new Chief Justice is appointed

Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has decided to temporarily hand over the administration of the Supreme Court to judge Abdulla Hameed, following the retirement of Chief Justice Ahmed Muthasim Adnan.

Chief Justice Muthasim will formally step down on Monday, today marking his final working day.

JSC last week approved his request for retirement, which takes effect tomorrow.

Judge Hameed will oversee Supreme Court operations until a new Chief Justice is appointed, JSC said.

Judge Hameed, who was recently appointed to the Supreme Court bench, previously served on the High Court from 2007 to 2022, and before that as a judge at the Civil Court. He was dismissed from the High Court in 2022 over allegations of benefiting from a government housing scheme in 2015, which involved the distribution of flats to judges.

Chief Justice Muthasim, who was appointed to the post in 2019, becomes the first Chief Justice in Maldivian history to retire with honour. He previously served as a justice of the Supreme Court between 2009 and 2014.