Prosecutor General (PG) Hussain Shameem has asserted that those who encourage and cause people to commit crimes are equally as guilty as those who commit crimes.

In a Twitter post following the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO)’s confirmation that charges against former Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Ahmed Ziyad Bagir and the ministry’s Endorsement Section Head Ibrahim Abdulla Saeed, have been forwarded to the Criminal Court, PG Shameem noted that those who cause someone to commit crimes and those who commit crimes should be held accountable, equally.

He added that those who commit such crimes “cannot get away with it” and that equal efforts from everyone are needed to see results of a reformed criminal justice system.

Bagir and Saeed are charged with misuse of official authority under Section 513 (b) of the Penal Code. Graded as a Class 4 felony, the offense carries a minimum sentence of a year, seven months and six days behind bars.

PGO has also sought from the ACC to request a thorough criminal investigation into the W&A Overseas PTE and some of its senior officials who were involved in stages of the agreement between the ministry and SJ Construction, at the Maldives Police Service (MPS).

PGO has also recommended ACC to request an investigation over the contractor receiving information that was not provided by the ministry, this was noticed through case documents. The 10-story development of Zikra Mosque was handed over during the administration of now incarcerated former president Abdulla Yameen, during July 2018 and the project was worth MVR 130 million. MVR 30 million was paid as equity to SJ Construction by the previous government.