The resident building of the Acting Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, Ali Rasheed, has been vandalized.

Maldives Police Service said that damage to the outer window of Judge Rasheed was reported at 5:30 a.m. this morning and a large axe believed to be used in the vandalism was left behind near the door.

Police said that a writing was left on the front door however they did not say what it was. The writing on the door was blurred out in the images released by the police media.

And no arrests have been made so far, police said that they are investigating further.

While the residence of Judge Ali Rasheed has been targeted, Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, Ahmed Hailam, presiding over the trail of the former President, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, was suspended by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) last week and Judge Rasheed was appointed as the Acting Chief Judge of the Criminal Court.

The summon order for President Yameen to appear at the court after rescheduling a hearing in the trial for 17 November, was signed by Judge Ali Rasheed; summon orders are commonly signed by the presiding judge.

Judge Hailam was suspended after the sentencing hearing in President Yameen’s money laundering trial was scheduled at the Criminal Court, thus cancelling the sentencing. The JSC suspended Judge Hailam to investigate a disciplinary case regarding an image shared on a Viber Group.