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Judiciary Committee approves to dismiss Judge Ghanee

The Parliament's Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved to dismiss Supreme Court Justice Abdul Ghanee Mohamed as per the recommendation made by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

The case was forwarded to the Judiciary Committee after which the committee deliberated on the matter. The committee reviewed whether JSC's decision to pursue the judge's dismissal were in line with the rules and regulations and followed due procedure.

JSC earlier suspended the judge for a period of sixty days before announcing their decision to pursue his dismissal.

JSC was investigating several instances where the Supreme Court made unlawful decisions. The cases in which Judge Ghanee were involved in were investigated, and the judge had cooperated with the inquiry.

While former Chief Justice Dr. Ahmed Abdulla Didi and Judge Adam Mohamed were also investigated over the same issues, both judges refused to cooperate with the investigation, claiming that the JSC did not have the jurisdiction to look into the matters. Both judges have now been dismissed from the Supreme Court.

Judge Ghanee was appointed to the Supreme Court last year after former Supreme Court judges Abdulla Saeed and Ali Hameed was convicted for a crime. Before his appointment to the Supreme Court, Judge Ghanee was a judge at the High Court.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has also launched a probe into the judge over complaints filed by an individual. AVAS has learnt that the complaint alleges that the Judge impeded an appeal filed at the High Court by the Prosecutor General involving a woman, and employed the woman in question at the High Court.

ACC is already looking into another case involving some Supreme Court judges, where they are accused of misusing the court's petty cash to frequently arrange lunch from a high-end Indian restaurant in Hulhumale'. The meals were fetched and delivered by a court employee in a vehicle belonging to the court.