Supreme Court: Ex-VP Jameel dismissal case needs to be lodged with Civil Court

Supreme Court said on Thursday it does not have the original jurisdiction to hear the case lodged by Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed over his dismissal as Vice President, and the case therefore needs to be first lodged with the Civil Court.

Jameel, who served as former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom's first Vice President, filed the case citing the vote of no-confidence taken by the Parliament in 2015 to dismiss him was taken in violation of legal standards.

The judicial opinion in the case was issued on Thursday morning by Justice Dr. Azmiralda Zahir, and supported by Chief Justice Ahmed Muthasim Adnan, Justice Aisha Shujoon Mohamed, Justice Ali Rasheed Hussain, and Justice Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim.

Azmiralda said that the case lodged by Jameel was one for which the Supreme Court does not have original jurisdiction under Article 11 of Judicature Act.

Issuing the ruling in the case, Muthasim said that the Supreme Court does not have original jurisdiction to hear the case, but the Civil Court may accept and hear the case based on the points made by the court in Thursday's judgement.

The Parliament passed a no-confidence motion against Jameel on July 21, 2015. 78 lawmakers voted in favor of his impeach while, two voted against and one abstained.

The vote was taken after he was awarded the opportunity to speak in his own defense.

Jameel’s dismissal came after the administration at the time accused him of failure to adequately uphold his duties, and of harboring close ties with then-opposition MDP. He was accused of failure to defend the PPM administration, and of spending exorbitant sums from the state budget.