Majlis passes long-awaited Criminal Procedures Act
The landmark Criminal Procedure Act, comprising of 30 chapters, codifies in detail the rules to investigate, prosecute and pass judgment on suspected criminal offenders. The legislation had been pending for seven years at the People’s Majlis.
20 Apr 2016, 9:00 AM
The parliament approved Monday a long-awaited bill detailing criminal justice procedures with cross-party support. Some 68 MPs unanimously voted for the bill, which has been pending for seven years at the People’s Majlis.
The landmark Criminal Procedure Act, comprising of 30 chapters, codifies in detail the rules to investigate, prosecute and pass judgment on suspected criminal offenders.
The foreign ministry hailed the bill’s passage as “a milestone” which would strengthen the Maldives criminal justice sector, currently under fire for “grossly unfair” trials against high-profile opposition politicians, including former President Mohamed Nasheed. The criminal justice sector has also been criticised for its failure to bring suspects accused of major crimes to justice.
Ahmed Usham, deputy attorney general, said the bill was “a key piece of legislation which will fill in the procedural gaps and vacuums in the Maldivian judicial system as it codifies all processes since the initiation of a criminal investigation until the serving of a sentence.”
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