Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath has instructed Prosecutor General Aishath Bisham to request the courts to review the detention of all prisoners held under state custody until conclusion of their trial, every 30 days.
Under the Criminal Procedure Law, the Prosecutor General's Office can request to detain suspects arrested on a case, and those charged with a crime until the conclusion of their trial.
While suspects can be detained for indefinite amounts of time under the law, the authority given to the Prosecutor General's Office to do so has prompted many to voice their concern on the issue. Discussions are currently ongoing to remove the clause from the law.
According to the Maldivian Constitution, the Attorney General has the power to issue general directives to the Prosecutor General on the conduct of criminal proceedings. In this regard, the Attorney General on Sunday brought changes to the policy followed in criminal proceedings.
An additional clause was added to include that the Prosecutor General must review a judge's decision to detain a person until the end of his trial every 30 days. If in the case it is found that there is no need for a person to be detained until the end of his trial, PG must request the court to dismiss the order under which the person was detained.
PG is also required to prepare and share bi-annual reports with the parliament on the work done by the PG under the clause.
Prosecutor General Aishath Bisham, Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath - Photo: AVAS Archives
