President’s Office Chief of Staff Ali Zahir on Sunday stated that the accusations of influencing the judiciary are unfounded, and that he will resign if the leaked audio recordings are proven to be true.
Chief of Staff Zahir stated that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has always supported the independence of government institutions, which are in place to ensure that the executive power is held accountable and transparent.
He also said that the President’s Office adheres to the system established to ensure the separation of powers and communicates with the Department of Judicial Administration for administrative matters and the Judicial Service Commission for judge-related matters.
Former judges have accused Ali Zahir of using undue influence on judges to manipulate verdicts.
Zahir denied the allegations, claiming that he had never spoken to any judges about an ongoing trial to manipulate verdicts. He also stated that he had never accepted any bribes in dealing with prisoner paroles.
While emphasizing that he had not been questioned by any investigative bodies, Zahir stated that if the leaked recordings are proven to be true, he will resign.
Zahir called the accusations “cowardly political attacks” and urged the media not to cover completely baseless news that causes public misunderstandings.
