Law Office of Mahaz

Uz. Mahaz Ali Zahir attained his LLB at the Maldives College of Higher Education (now Maldives National University) in 2007 and completed his LLM at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in 2010.

On 17th August 2007, Uz. Mahaz obtained his license to practice law in Maldivian courts. He began his career as an Assistant State Attorney at the Attorney General’s Office and later transitioned to the newly formed Prosecutor General’s Office, where he prosecuted criminal cases and represented the State in both Lower and Superior Courts. He also contributed to drafting several key legislations during his tenure.

Following the enactment of the Drug Act (Law No: 17/2011), Uz. Mahaz was appointed as a Judge of the Drug Court, where he played an integral role in developing the Court and formulating its regulations. On 4th November 2019, he was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of the Maldives, serving with distinction until 2025.

Professional Work Undertaken

  • Member of the team reviewing the 2008 Constitution for Presidential rectification.
  • Reviewed Maldivian laws for constitutional consistency.
  • Drafted prosecution guidelines at the Prosecutor General’s Office.
  • Member of the special committee convened by Parliament to draft the Drug Act (Law No: 17/2011).
  • Contributed to drafting multiple regulations and policies for Drug Court operations, including:
    • Drug Court Regulation (2012-R-15)
    • Regulation on Video Conference Hearings (2013-R-42)
    • Policies on case assignments, hearing schedules, appeals, and terminations
    • Drafting Criminal Procedure Regulation

Conferences and Seminars

  • MILAWEX Programme, US Pacific Command (2009)
  • Workshop on UN Convention Against Corruption (2009)
  • Workshop on Environmental Laws and Regulations (2010)
  • International Anti-Corruption Authority Annual Conference, Macau (2010)
  • International Association of Prosecutors Annual Conference, South Korea (2011)
  • Forensic Science Seminar – Drug and Alcohol Evidence (2011)
  • Commonwealth Judicial Education Programme (2012)
  • Juvenile Training, UNICEF (2012)
  • Training of Trainers Seminar on Criminal Procedure, Maldives Judicial Academy (2017)

Publications

Papers

  • Article 271 of the Constitution; Delegated Legislations – Maldives Law Review, 2013
  • Summary of Fundamental Rights and Duties – Maldives Law Review, 2013
  • Abolishment of the Judicial Council by Supreme Court – Maldives Law Review, 2013

Books

  • 106 Questions and Answers on Drug Rehabilitation (2014)
  • A Guide to Drug Act (2015)
  • Science of Addiction – Translated (2016)
  • 10 Steps to Memorize Holy Quran – Translated (2016)
  • Witness Testimony: Maldivian Cases and Islamic Principles (2018)