Parliament’s committee on national security and foreign relations had accepted the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty on Tuesday.
Five, out of the nine members in attendance, voted to accept it. One abstained from the vote, while three voted against.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the committee summoned and questioned officials from the Prosecutor General (PG) Office, Attorney General (AG) Office and the foreign ministry, to clear up some of the concerns of the members.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih decided to submit the treaty "between the Republic of Maldives and the Republic of India on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters” to parliament in February, following recommendations from the cabinet.
According to the President’s Office, “the scope of the treaty covers the facilitation of the widest measures of mutual assistance in the service of summons, execution of warrants and other judicial documents and commissions, in accordance with the treaty and subject to the domestic laws of participating States.”
“It also includes improving the effectiveness of both countries in the prevention, investigation and prosecution of crime, including crime related to terrorism and tracing, restraints forfeiture or confiscation of funds meant for financing of terrorism as also the proceeds and instruments of crime, through cooperation and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters”
The treaty is to facilitate ‘the fight against criminal activity, especially crime related to terrorism,” and will also aid in the investigation of such matters, obtaining evidence, and broaden the opportunity to interrogate those in question.
The President’s Office had said that Maldives is also in discussions with Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and Russia, in pursuing similar treaties.
