Government wants to add treason to Penal Code

The government wants to amend the Penal Code to add “treason to the state” as a criminal offence.

Attorney General Mohamed Anil said the government was preparing two bills to amend the Penal Code, SunOnline reported.

The bills are scheduled to be sent to parliament when it resumes after recess.

Anil made the comments on a state media news programme, Raajje Miadhu, saying one of the bills will add a chapter to the Penal Code criminalising treason.

It will cover crimes of treason to the state, and crimes of organising and taking part in efforts to overthrow the government, according to SunOnline.

The second bill will cover amendments to include more corruption crimes in the Penal Code, Anil said.

“These include some amendments shared with us by the Anti-Corruption Commission.The changes will bring crimes of corruption in the Maldives in line with international treaties on eliminating corruption.”

The current Penal Code, introduced in July 2015, repealed a set of laws written in 1968. The enactment of the law drew opposition from the judiciary. But plans for drastic changes proposed by the judiciary never made it through.

At the time, Anil hailed the new law as something that would bring the Maldives criminal justice system on to an equal footing with other developed nations.