Supreme Court Justice Husnu Al Suood has resigned from his position today.

Suood has resigned while he was suspended by the Judicial Service Commission due to an ongoing criminal investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Along with Suood, Supreme Court Justices Dr. Azmiralda Zahir and Mahaz Ali were also suspended by the JSC from February 26.

In his resignation letter addressed to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, Suood said that after the Supreme Court decided it had jurisdiction to hear the case filed to invalidate the amendment that causes MPs to lose their seats if they leave or are expelled from their party, the government has been exerting unconstitutional influence on the Supreme Court.

Suood said that to prevent the hearing of this case, the People's Majlis has passed a bill to reduce the number of Supreme Court judges from seven to six.

He said this was an attempt to intimidate all Supreme Court judges and influence them to decide the case as the President wishes.

"In protest of this, I hereby resign from my position as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the Maldives, effective immediately," Suood's letter stated.

Suood was appointed as a Supreme Court Justice on December 8, 2019, during the presidency of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

The Supreme Court now consists of Chief Justice Ahmed Muthasim Adnan, Justices Azmiralda and Mahaz (both suspended), Aisha Shujoon Mohamed, Ali Rasheed Hussain, and Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim. However, with Azmiralda and Mahaz suspended, the court is facing difficulties in hearing cases.