Chief Justice post draws three applicants

Three individuals have applied for the position of Chief Justice.

Judicial Service Commission (JSC) opened for applications to the post following the retirement of former Chief Justice Ahmed Muthasim Adnan. The deadline for applications was noon today.

The JSC received three applications. These were from Tax Appeal Tribunal President and former Supreme Court Judge Abdul Ghani Mohamed, former Chief Judge of High Court Shujau Usman, and Family Court Judge and former Chief Judge of Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed.

The Chief Justice will be appointed through parliamentary approval for a name nominated by the President, through the counsel of the JSC.

Ghani served as a Civil Court Judge from 2000 to 2004, and as a High Court Judge from 2004 to 2018. During this time, he also served as Chief Judge of High Court.

Ghani then served on the Supreme Court bench. He was, however, dismissed by parliament in December 2019 regarding some rulings of the Supreme Court.

Last year, Ghani was appointed as a member of the Tax Appeal Tribunal.

Shujau Usman previously served as a magistrate. He was then a Criminal Court Judge, following which he was appointed to the High Court in 2015. He served as Chief Judge of the High Court from 2018 until 2020, when a dismissal proposal was submitted to parliament, prompting his resignation.

Abdulla Mohamed (Abdulla Ghazi) was the Chief Judge of Criminal Court until 2015. He now serves as a Family Court Judge.