Gabriela lied regarding the manner JSC appoints judges: Gasim

Jumoory Party leader, also the party’s presidential candidate Gasim Ibrahim has accused the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers Gabriela Knaul to have made false statements regarding the manner in which the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) appoints judges.

Speaking at a meeting held in the party’s campaign post, Gasim, who is a member of JSC, said that Gabriela’s statements, that the appointment of judges by the JSC is done without any proper regulation or transparency, are strictly false.

“That the Judicial Service Commission appoints judges without any transparency, in a wrong way, she said. I am definitely certain that it is a lie. She didn’t look into anything, didn’t listen to anything. She recorded something that somebody said and put it in her brain, and then said it. I am there [at the JSC]. That the JSC does things not within a regulation is definitely, a person cannot tell a larger lie,” Gasim said.

Gasim said that the people should not believe the thoughts and reports by foreign parties without properly investigating its truth, and said that he believes that Gabriela’s report was heavily influenced.

Gasim said that there is room for improvement in the Maldivian Judiciary and also the JSC and that there is no judiciary in the world that is perfect, that rectifications are have to be made everywhere.

He further said that the Judicial Services Commission was constituted by the 2008 constitution in an very possible manner and said that the clauses in the constitution governing the commission were stipulated after long debate by the Special Majlis (convened to compose the constitution). He said that for these reasons, he does not believe the statements made by the UN special rapporteur. He added that foreign parties will not be able to comment how Maldives constitution and laws should be formulated and that all such parties that come to the Maldives shall respect the constitution and laws.

Gasim added that President Nasheed’s nomination to the JSC Aishath Velezinee caused great commotion in the JSC, but said that the commission is now settling down and taking the right path. He said that he hopes that the administration of the commission will take better form in the near future.