Ustaz Justice Abdulla Saeed, from the island of Meedhoo, is the former chief justice of the Maldives.[1]
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Born in Meedhoo (Seenu Atoll), the Maldives, on 25 September 1964, Saeed is a descendant of the Dhiyamigili dynasty of the Maldives. His ancestors include scholars, jurists and educators in the Maldives.
Saeed departed for India in 1976 and enrolled in Jamia Islamiya, Dabhel where he received his primary education and memorized the Quran. While attending Jamia Islamiya in India, he studied Arabic literature, Logic, Theology, Urdu literature, Persian literature, Jurisprudence, Rhetoric, Study of Sirat, History, Hadith, Tafseer, etc. He returned to the Maldives in 1980 and enrolled in English Preparatory and Secondary school in Male’ and continued his secondary education. In 1983, he left the Maldives to go to Cairo, Egypt, where he completed his higher secondary education and enrolled in the Faculty of Sharia and Law of Al-Azhar University. He is well versed in English, Arabic, Persian and Urdu as well as in Islamic learning.
Abdulla Saeed was admitted as an Advocate of the Maldives in 1995. He began his legal career with the Attorney General’s Office. Just after his return from Cairo, with a B.A in Shariah and Law from Al-Azhar University, he was appointed as a State Attorney at the Attorney General’s Office in 1995. As a State Attorney, Saeed represented the State in the lower courts and High Court, and advised government departments on numerous legal matters referred to the Attorney General’s Office.
Saeed was appointed the first Dean of Faculty of Sharia and Law of the Maldives College of Higher Education and entrusted with the responsibility to lay the foundation of legal education in the Maldives. He also continued to teach law at certificate, diploma and degree level programmes conducted in the Maldives.
Saeed served as Assistant Director General, Public Prosecutions at the Attorney General’s Office. He directed cases to lower courts and to the Higher Court. He also advised government departments.
In 2008 Saeed assumed the office of Chief Justice of the newly established Supreme Court of the Maldives and served in that position until August 2010. He implemented reforms including the publishing of case reports on the web, providing increased access to case report system, and ensuring transparency in the justice system as a whole. After August 2010, he serves as a Supreme Court Justice of the Maldives.
Saeed is married to Moomina Nafiz and they have two children.