President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Sunday appointed former Deputy Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem to the position of Prosecutor General, former Supreme Court Judge Ahmed Muthasim Adnan as the Chief Justice, and former Attorney General Husnu al-Suood as a judge on the apex bench.
The letters of appointment were handed over to the three new appointees at ceremonies held at the President's Office.
Two-thirds of the parliament's judiciary committee voted in favour of appointing Shameem as the PG. The prominent lawyer stated that he would fulfil his duties honestly and with dedication during the committee's interview. He also vowed not to levy unjust charges.
In addition to working at the Attorney General's Office and PG Office, Shameem previously served at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Maldives, the Clemency Board and the Employment Tribunal.
He was also part of the legal team for several prominent politicians including Jumhooree Party leader Qasim Ibrahim, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Dhiggaru MP Faris Maumoon.
Shameem acquired a Master's Degree in Criminal Law and Criminal Justice as well as a Bachelor of Arts from Al-Azhar University in Egypt.
During the vote taken during the last session of the Parliament's third term, 68 members approved Muthasim for the position of Chief Justice while 64 members voted in favour of Suood to join the Supreme Court bench. Nolhivaram MP Mohamed Nasheed was the only member to vote against Suood.
Muthasim was previously removed from the SC bench following an amendment brought to the Judicature Act in 2014, reducing the number of judges on the apex court's bench from seven to five.
At the time, Judicial Service Commission (JSC) had advised to remove two judges including Muthasim, a suggestion that was upheld by the Parliament as well.
Muthasim sat on the Supreme Court bench from 2010 to 2014. Prior to this, he served as a member of the Maldives Law Commission, Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) and Foreign Investment's board of directors. He also previously filled the post of Director at Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Suood, approved by the Parliament for the SC bench, holds a Master's Degree in Law from the University of Queensland, Australia.
He formerly was a member of JSC, the Chairman of Law Commission, the Chief Judge at Civil Court, the President of Maldives Bar Association (MBA) and a member of HRCM. He was a member of the "Special Majilis" assembled to complete the latest constitution and was a notable contributor to the cause.
Suood, who most recently filled the post of President for the Commission on Investigation of Murders and Enforced Disappearances, received the National Award in recognition of his services.
With the new appointments, Supreme Court's bench now consists of Chief Justice Muthasim and Judges Suood, Dr Azmiralda Zahir, Aisha Shujoon and Mahaz Ali Zahir.
New members were appointed to the SC bench after Chief Justice Dr Ahmed Abdulla Didi, Judge Adam Mohamed and Judge Abdul Ghani Mohamed were dismissed from their positions through a parliament vote over misconduct, while Judge Abdulla Areef retired.
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