Monday
18th Nov 2024
Dhivehi Edition
Maumoon Hameed
Former President of the Maldives Bar Council Maumoon Hameed stated that the amendment to nullify licenses of the disbenched judges threatens the autonomy of the judiciary.
Speaking at the Parliament’s Judiciary Commission, Premier Chambers representative and partner, Maumoon had expressed several concerns over the government’s proposal.
Firstly, Maumoon said that the proposed amendment caters to allow judicial fear-mongering. He said that even now the Judicial Service Commission had forgone procedural fairness when they disbenched judges despite the appeals to the parliamentary judiciary commission and their consensus.
Additionally, Maumoon says that the amendment strips citizens of basic rights such as the right to work to make a living and that it may erase years of work.
Maumoon asserted that the ratification of the amendment threatens the autonomy and authority of the Bar Council. He said that according to the amendment, the Bar Council has no responsibilities other than the seal they stamp on layer license nullification documents.
The new amendment attempts to disallow judges to practice law while on bench, which is allowed under the current Legal Professionals Act.
Maumoon said that the new amendment threatens the independence and autonomy of the late profession as well as the judiciary. Furthermore, Maumoon stated that should the amendment be ratified as law, judges will remain in a perpetual state of fear.