Late night verdicts are as sign of an independent judiciary, says the ruling Y-faction of Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM).

Speaking in the press conference held on Tuesday in PPM offices, Party Spokesperson and Kelaa Constituency MP Ali Arif said that this was seen in other nations and was not a special feature attributed to the Maldives.

He said establishing justice was a 24-hour mandate and therefore, it was distressing that Judges slept at the expense of establishing justice.

When questioned by RaajjeMV over the apparent issues within the judiciary, Ali Arif denied that there were issues in the judicial justice system. He said the lawyers suspended by Department of Judicial Administration were done right, expressing his support for the verdicts issued by the Courts.

Y-faction’s Deputy Leader and Fonadhoo Constituency MP Abdul Raheem Abdullah additionally denied that there was a bias in verdicts issued by Courts. He said the claims of bias were designed to simply defame the Courts, adding that the Courts will never be able to deliver a verdict that was to the liking of the opposition.

The Parliamentarian also added that Jumhooree Party Leader Qasim Ibrahim and former President Mohamed Nasheed were sentenced for their crimes not because they were political figures.

When questioned by RaajjeMV over the claims made by President regarding state funds and how he was a recipient of those funds, Spokesperson Ali Arif said the President’s words had been deliberately misinterpreted. He said while a certain group had deliberately twisted the President’s statements, this was not accepted by the general public.

He urged all to review the President’s statement again, adding that media must not follow the philosophy of twisting statements perpetrated by opposition MDP.