President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the decision to open a separate account in the name of the Department of Judicial Administration and provide a block grant to the judiciary was made to ensure the independence of the judiciary from government influence. The President made these remarks while speaking on the “With the People” podcast.
Speaking on the podcast, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu said that the current system in the state greatly hinders the work of the judiciary. The President said that the Ministry of Finance instructs the judiciary to reduce expenses at a certain point in the year, just as it does with other institutions. He noted that this significantly weakens one of the branches of the state.
“This is a very important change. The way the judiciary operates now, and by now I mean from the beginning until today, is that it’s controlled by the Ministry of Finance just like other ministries are controlled. Midway through the year, the Finance Ministry will send a circular to all offices. It will say expenses are being reduced from this point. In the last three or four months, they might even make significant cuts. The same applies to the judiciary,” the President said.
The President said that under the current system, the government has full control over the judiciary’s operations, and by withholding the budget, the entire judiciary can be controlled by the government. Therefore, to solve this issue and free the judiciary from government influence, he has decided to open a special account and allocate a specific amount in the budget as a block grant to the judiciary every year.
“We have decided, after discussing in the cabinet, to completely change the current system starting from the budget proposed for next year. We will designate a certain percentage of the state budget as the amount always given to the judiciary, and deposit that amount as a block grant into a separate account,” the President said. The President stated that they will provide a budget ceiling for the judiciary in the coming year that is larger than what has been given in any previous year.
He said that the construction of the Superior Court Complex will begin this year in Hulhumalé. The President noted that after no one bid when it was first announced, it was opened for bidding a second time. He expressed hope that the actual work on the site would begin within the next couple of months.
During the podcast, the President repeatedly emphasized that the government would not exert influence over the judiciary. He also stated that the cases in courts and their decisions are not matters that any government office would interfere with.
