The parliament has passed the motion to sign the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, allowing Maldives and India to assist each other in criminal cases.

The motion was passed at Monday’s sitting with 65 votes in favor and 11 votes against.

The government submitted the motion to sign the treaty, which was then evaluated by the committee on national security. The committee chair said there were some disagreements within the committee over specifics, including providing bank statements and extraditing criminals.

He said that the Attorney General, who was summoned to the committee, said that Maldivians will only be taken to India if they give their consent and that the treaty will not allow anyone to violate Maldivian laws.

The committee chair said that the treaty will allow the two countries to assist in cases of money laundering, drug trafficking, and terrorism.