Deadline for commenting on Penal Code Bill up tomorrow

The deadline for the public to express their views on the Penal Code Bill has been brought forward to tomorrow. It was earlier announced that the public will have this opportunity until 31 March.

Parliament Secretary General Ahmed Mohamed said today that it was decided to bring the deadline forward following numerous requests to expedite the passing of this bill.

Jamiyyathu Salaf has expressed concern over this decision by the parliament.

In a statement issued today, Jamiyyathu Salaf condemned this decision and said that this is part of the deceitful planning and efforts to erase Islamic Sharia from the Maldives.

Jamiyyathu Salaf called on relevant authorities to shape the legal system of the Maldives such that it is compulsory for the parliament to obtain the advice of scholars educated in Islamic Sharia, in order to ensure that the laws of the Maldives follow the principles of Islamic Sharia.

Jamiyyathu Salaf also expressed its opinions regarding the section in the bill which proposes beheading and shooting, instead of lethal injections, as methods of implementing the death penalty.

The Penal Code Bill, which was submitted to the parliament seven years ago, states that the maximum prison sentence shall not exceed eleven years.

The draft of the bill published by the parliament states that intentional murder is a crime, while unintentional murder is categorised under crimes of zero degree.

The penalty for staging coups against the government of Maldives or attempting to overthrow the government has also been reduced in the new Penal Code Bill. The Penal Code presently in effect states the death penalty as the punishment for staging coups.

The new Penal Code Bill, which is quite different from the Penal Code that has been in effect since Ibrahim Nasir acted as Prime Minister of Maldives, defines participation in a coup as physical participation in efforts to overthrow the government, and states that the penalty for this crime, based on its seriousness, is a prison sentence.

The Penal Code presently in effect, however, states in article 37 that whoever while within or outside the Maldives commits an act that can cause detriment to the government of the Maldives, its independence or sovereignty or cause a part of the Maldives in terms of territory or population to be divested from the jurisdiction of the government of the Maldives shall be death.