The Maldives Police Service has suspended investigations into Supreme Court Judge Ali Hameed’s alleged appearance in a series of sex tapes.
“We have filed the Ali Hameed case. We do not have enough evidence to proceed further and it will only be opened again if we receive additional information,” a police media official told Minivan News today.
In December, Superintendent Abdulla Nawaz told the press the police had been unable to determine if the man seen fornicating with three different foreign women was Ali Hameed. The incident reportedly occurred in a hotel room in Colombo.
Nawaz at the time pledged to continue with the investigations with assistance from a foreign country. The police press conference followed local media reports that the investigations had stalled due to the Criminal Court’s failure to provide a warrant to take a facial photograph of the judge and a separate warrant to search his residence.
The judicial oversight body Judicial Services Commission (JSC) has meanwhile failed to take any action on the matter despite repeated recommendations by two subcommittees to suspend the judge for failure to cooperate with investigations.
The sex tapes first surfaced in May 2013 shortly after a film – also involving Hameed – began circulating on social media in which the judge appeared to be discussing political influence in the judiciary with a local businessman.
JSC member Shuaib Abdul Rahman and former member MP Ahmed Hamza have accused JSC President and Supreme Court Judge Adam Mohamed of stalling the commission’s investigation into the scandal.
Meanwhile, the Prosecutor General (PG) has pressed corruption charges against Hameed over the illegal transfer of US$144 worth credit from his state-funded mobile phone in 2010.
But the Criminal Court has said case documents were destroyed in a coffee spill and has asked the PG’s Office to submit files again.
The auditor general discovered the offense in a 2010 audit of the Department of Judicial Administration and the case was subsequently investigated by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).
The audit also discovered that MVR13,200 (US$856) was spent out of the apex court’s budget to repair a state-owned car used by an unnamed Supreme Court Justice, later revealed in the media to be Justice Hameed.
According to the police report cited by auditors, the driver of the justice’s car was responsible for the accident, which occurred on January 23, 2011.
However, the official driver insisted the car was undamaged when he parked and left it the previous night.
Despite the findings of the audit report, in March 2011 the Supreme Court dismissed allegations of corruption reported in local media regarding phone allowances and use of court funds to repair Justice Hameed’s car.
Moreover, in September 2011, the ACC began investigating allegations that over MVR50,000 (US$3,200) of state funds was spent on plane tickets for Justice Hameed’s official visit to China in December 2010.
The complainant alleged that Hameed also visited Sri Lanka and Malaysia, both before and after his trip to China to attend a conference by the International Council of Jurists.
A return ticket on a direct flight from Malé to Beijing at time cost MVR16,686 (US$1,080).
Furthermore, in May 2012, the ACC revealed that Justice Hameed was among three sitting judges illegally occupying state-owned apartments.
The Maldives Bar Association in April has said Hameed’s continued presence on the Supreme Court bench contravenes Islamic Shariah and the norms of justice.
“Given the serious nature of the allegations against Ali Hameed, that the judge continues to hold trial contravenes norms of justice, conduct of judges, and established norms by which free and democratic societies deal with cases of this nature,” the organization said.
Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz Hussain has refused to comment on the issue, stating in January: “We are speaking about accusations. The Chief Justice will comment on the matter when relevant authorities decide on the nature of the accusations. How many other’s have also faced accusations?”
Images and symbols depicting scenes from the sex-tape formed a prominent part of protests against the court’s repeated interference in the presidential election of 2013.
Hameed was one of the four judges who formed the majority in the Supreme Court’s decision to annul the initial first round of the 2013 presidential election, the ruling that unseated two opposition MPs over a controversial case of decreed debt, and the ruling that removed Elections Commission President and Vice President for alleged contempt of court.
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hahaha
This doesn't even warrant an 'i told u so'...
Police don’t have to investigate judge’s sex life, but the judge should be removed from his public position if this is what the people want, but since the public is OK with him then let it be. It seems public is OK with him, otherwise there should have been mass demonstration, so it is better to leave that chap also you won’t get any one who is free from fornication in Maldives and it is not that bad thing for Dhivehi society.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-bPfNX7LWI
Perhaps Maumoon was right. Maldivians are not ready for democracy he said during the evan naseem uprising and subsequent calls for reform. 3 years of democracy flopped and power returned back to the old rulers, no one is least bothered except for a few. With this news, we are seeing our own judiciary (an institution of the government of Maldives) reduced down to pure filth and ridicule, but yet, we enjoy the filth and ridicule at our coffee tables more than we worry about the consequences of leaving our institutions in such dire state. Maldivians do not deserve a democracy. They deserve to be ruled by an absolute ruler and to be left to their own substance lifestyle of fishing, eating, island gossip on holhu ashi and fornicating with village women! life in paradise!
I agree with you for a part Madhira, the allegations are not serious at all. We're talking about a few 100's of dollars and what he does in private is his own business for as long he doesn't harm anyone.
I do not agree with your statement about the people being ok with him. The judiciary isn't democratically elected. They should earn their positions by being the most competent and just for the job.
And that's where it goes wrong of course. If there is something a good judge never can be it's biased, corrupt and inconsistent. He's personally responsible for approving sentences against people who has committed the same "crimes" as what he did himself. So it's not more than JUST he faces the same consequences. And btw, many people are not ok with him.
His acts on itself are not bad for the Maldives, but the bigger picture: judges being biased, corrupt, inconsistent and part of a political group, that is VERY BAD for the Maldives.
And that is why the death penalty cannot be instated here. Because the judiciary tends to play favorites.
Ekaloas: I am OK with what you are saying as long as I get also get away with what I do in my bedroom. But that's not the case. These are the same guys who would sentence me for kissing someone behind closed doors.
if the girl herself comes forward and testifies against fornicator hameed for the police will amount to supporting evidence????
I would not be surprised if police claimed that the guy sitting on bed looked more like kenereegey ganjaaboa nasheedhu.
Of course not Mohamed. They need 3 male witnesses of the penetration. Well, in this case at least and who knows, maybe he'll be pardoned in the unlikely event this happens. Pardoned due to exceptional services for the benefit of the country, something like that.
Disgusting!
What's the saying about death and taxes? Can say the same about politicians/government officials and hookers. Some things are universal uh dho.
easy solution go over to colombo ask for the registry and check.thats all.
but this place is a joke
Is the Judge’s prostitution scandal is OK for his wife? This shows it is not a big deal for Maldivian society. In this case Police is very good and very civilized, if they show such professionalism in all cases like Anbara, massage parlors, we can really salute them. If it is OK for his family, and wider public in Maldives then why those who don’t like him are making this as a big issue. If the judge is living with his wife with all this shame, as his wife should be the one more difficult to deal with, it should be just like drinking water for the rest of Divehin, so it seems those who voice against him is not for any ethical reasons, probably just taking advantage to remove him from his position for political gain.