Authorities drop case against Mahaz a year after allegations cost him Supreme Court job

The investigation into corruption allegations against former Supreme Court judge Dr. Mahaz Ali Zahir was dropped over lack of evidence on Wednesday, over a year after she was dismissed from the top court.

Sun has learned following investigations, Maldives Police Service, failed to uncover any evidence of a criminal offense. The Prosecutor General’s Office (PG Office) has therefore decided not purse any charges against him, and the police have subsequently filed the case.

Accordingly, the PG Office has also informed Mahaz of its decision. The office explained that after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) referred the matter for review, the prosecution decided not to proceed with the case following its investigations and communicated the decision.

The investigation initially involved three former Supreme Court justices: Dr. Azmiralda Zahir, Maha, and Husnu Al Suood. The case concerning Azmiralda has also been filed by the Police and the PG Office after authorities determined that there was insufficient evidence to support criminal charges.

On February 26, 2025, then-Supreme Court judges Azmiralda, Mahaz and Suood were suspended by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), citing an ongoing investigation by the against them by the ACC. All three were hearing a case challenging the controversial move by the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) to write anti-defection clauses into the Maldivian constitution. It also came shortly after the ruling PNC used its supermajority in the Parliament to push through amendments to the Judicature Act to downsize the Supreme Court bench from seven to five justices - a bill that was later tabled following public backlash.

Suood resigned from the top court in protest of JSC’s decision, and the commission later opened misconduct cases against Azmiralda and Mahaz, accusing them of conspiring to influence the Criminal Court. Azmiralda and Mahaz - both of whom have maintained that the allegations against them were baseless and that the investigations by the JSC were tainted by the denial of due process to them - were dismissed by the Parliament with majority votes of 68-11 on May 14, 2025.

While cases against both Mahaz and Azmiralda have been filed by both the Police and the PG Office, ACC remains tight-lipped over its investigation into the case.