Parliament to decide on Justice Abdulla Didi’s impeachment tonight

Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has recommended the Parliament to impeach Supreme Court Justice Uz. Abdulla Didi.

Speaker of Parliament, former President Mohamed Nasheed has announced the Parliament will decide on Didi’s impeachment this Tuesday night.

JSC announced this Tuesday that it has decided to accept the findings of the sub-committee which conducted the investigation into the allegations of ethical violations by Didi. It also said that though Didi provided a written response to the findings within the 30-day period awarded to him, the responses provided no grounds change the conclusion drawn by the sub-committee.

JSC said that it has therefore decided to request the Parliament to impeach Didi under Article 37 (e) of Judges Act.

Didi was questioned regarding the allegations against him in an open inquiry held at a hall in Dharubaaruge, on June 20.

The police, in its letter to JSC which the commission used in its investigation into Didi, said the police had evidence of several judges received bribes to sway rulings against politicians starting from 2014, and that Didi had been one of the individuals who received money from suspects in the MMPRC embezzlement and money laundering case without a reasonable cause.

The police also have a confession by an unidentified Witness 1 to handing money in MVR and USD banknotes to Didi at orders from an unidentified Suspect 1. Which was later corroborated in an interview with Suspect 1.

The police also have records of text messages exchanged between a phone number registered to Didi, Suspect 1 and Witness 1 on July 12, 2017.

In the first message, Didi asks Suspect 1 for USD for a trip abroad. And Didi’s name is later on a list of people to be handed money to which Suspect 1 texts to Witness 1.

The police said that further analysis of Suspect 1’s phone logs show Didi and Suspect 1 had met in person.

The written answers sent by Didi in response to the allegations against him have not been made public by the JSC.

Didi is currently under suspension by JSC.