Former Criminal Court chief judge Hailam signs for JP

Former Criminal Court chief judge Ahmed Hailam has signed up for Jumhoory Party (JP).

His membership form was received by the party’s leader and presidential candidate Qasim Ibrahim.

Hailam informed of his decision to resign from his post as the chief judge of Criminal Court to Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on December 3, 2019.

His resignation came after JSC found him guilty of misconduct subsequent to which they had filed a parliamentary motion to dismiss him. The Judiciary Committee of the Parliament, after assessing the case, agreed with the JSC’s decision to remove the judge. They had forwarded the case to the floor for vote.

Hailam was suspended on November 5, 2019, on the day of the sentencing of the money laundering case against former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom over a cartoon he posted in a recreational Viber group of the Criminal Court, depicting President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Speaker of the Parliament Mohamed Nasheed chained along with the rebels of November 3, 1988.

He had refused to cooperate in JSC’s probe with respect to the case. Amid these events, police uncovered former parliamentarian Alham Fahumy had deposited MVR 200,000 to Hailam’s bank account. JSC began investigating this case as well.

Hailam, in his resignation letter to JSC, said the investigations against him were politically motivated while also accusing the commission of working under the influence of specific politicians rather than reforming the judiciary of the country.

His membership with JP marks his first-ever political activity.