Maldives enacts legislature making convicts eligible for bail

Maldives has enacted legislative amendments that make criminal convicts eligible for bail during the appeal process.

The amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act – passed by the Parliament a week back - were ratified by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Tuesday.

The amendments make convicts eligible for bail for the duration of their appeal under specific circumstances; if the appeal has sufficient grounds, if the convict adheres to the conditions of bail, and if there is no public interest to be gained from keeping them detained.

The amendments also make convicts eligible for bail ahead of their sentencing – if they are able to prove that their release on bail is crucial to establishing justice. The legislature states that courts may set certain restrictions when granting bail under such circumstances, including imposing a travel ban and barring them from communicating with anyone involved in the case.

The legislature also introduces a comprehensive mechanism aimed at addressing cybercrimes perpetrated through new technologies and computer systems. It grants law enforcement agencies the authority to intercept personal information in such cases and to access retained subscriber and communication data via a court order. Additionally, the amendments facilitates real-time data requests through a system to be established jointly by financial authorities and law enforcement agencies.

It also empowers law enforcement and financial authorities to freeze assets and halt financial transactions of suspects involved in scams, thereby preventing the misuse of funds when such incidents are reported.