The court said that a total of 9197 persons had been given sentences for various crimes within the past 10 years – approximately three percent of the Maldives’ population.

2950 persons of the total 9197 convicted were banished, while 798 persons were placed under house arrest and 5435 persons were imprisoned, said the Criminal Court.

However, the court said many of the convicts who are supposed to be serving their time were brought before the judges accused of committing further offenses.

Meanwhile, the parliament has commenced its preliminary debate on the amendment presented by Jumhoory Party (JP) MP Ibrahim Muthalib to the Clemency Act, which requires death penalties to be implemented if the Supreme Court upholds a death sentence issued by a lower court or of the Supreme Court itself issues a death sentence.

If the amendment is passed the President will not have the authority to grant clemency for those who are found guilty of any offense that serves a death penalty.

The amendment was originally presented by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ibrahim Rasheed, who withdrew it claiming that he would resubmit it after bills relating to evidence and penal code were passed.

Parliamentary Group Leader of MDP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik has now presented the Criminal Justice Procedure Bill, which parliament has accepted and is awaiting preliminary debate.

As MPs present bills to try and control rising gang violence, early this morning a 25 year-old victim died in hospital after an assault two days ago that left him in a coma.

Another youth, Ahusan Basheer, 21, was stabbed to death last month on a busy street in Male. Ibrahim Shahum, 20, who was released by the court after being held in pre-trial detention for six months in connection with another murder case, was arrested along with two others. An under-aged girl, who reportedly witnessed the crime, was also arrested and kept in pre-trial detention.