Parliament has passed the Legal Profession Bill.
The bill was proposed on behalf of the government by North Maafannu MP Imthiyaz Fahmy.
The bill passed with 69 members voting in favor at Tuesday’s sitting, four had abstained.
The purpose of the bill is to regulate the granting of licenses to practice law in the Maldives and to oversee and penalize the work of those working in the legal sector. It also proposes to provide further training to lawyers and improve the sector.
The Bill will allow the formation of the Maldives Bar Council, an independent association of lawyers responsible for undertaking these initiatives.
The bill was first proposed in the 18th parliament, during which it was approved by the committee on independent institutions and sent to the floor. However, it was returned to the committee and remained there until the end of the parliament tenure.
