The Judiciary Committee of the Parliament has unanimously agreed to provide a five-day period for public comments on the nomination of Abbas Shareef, the Legal Secretary at the President’s Office and former High Court judge, for the position of Prosecutor General.

The Maldives Parliament sent Abbas Shareef’s nomination to the Judiciary Committee for further evaluation following an extraordinary parliamentary session held tonight.

During the session, Parliament's Secretary General, Fathimath Niusha, presented President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s official letter nominating Shareef for the role.

Although only Abbas Shareef was named for the Prosecutor General position, the letter also listed several other applicants, including:

Mariyam Nihayath – Former Prosecutor General

Ahmed Hailam – Former Criminal Court Chief Judge

Ali Sameer – Current Prosecutor General

Ahmed Yamin

Ibrahim Ali

After the letter was read, Speaker of Parliament Abdul Raheem Abdulla forwarded the nomination to the Judiciary Committee for review.

A committee meeting was scheduled for 9:30 PM to discuss the matter.

The Judiciary Committee has now granted five days for the public to provide their feedback on Abbas Shareef’s nomination.

Abbas Shareef holds a law degree from the University of Tasmania and served as a High Court judge from 2011 to 2015.

He has also legally represented two former Maldivian presidents.

The deadline for submitting nominations for the Prosecutor General post is Wednesday at noon.

As mandated by law, the post must be filled within 30 days of its vacancy, which is on September 21.

The position became vacant after Hussain Shameem resigned amidst efforts to remove him from office.