Parliament will vote on Penal Code Bill before recess: MP Hamza

Chairperson of Penal Code Review Committee Ahmed Hamza has said that it is likely that the parliament will vote on the Penal Code Bill before it goes into recess.

Speaking at a press conference today, Hamza said that Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has decided to propose two amendments to the bill, while Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has not decided to propose any amendments to the bill.

“If major amendments are proposed, the bill will have to be sent to the committee again. I don’t think any major amendments will be proposed to this bill, which means it can be passed before the parliament goes into recess,” he said.

Speaking at the press conference, committee member Imthiyaz Fahmy said that the Penal Code Bill follows the principles of Islamic Sharia. He said that advice from religious scholars, judges, the attorney general, and the prosecutor general were considered when compiling the bill.

He also highlighted that a confession alone is not sufficient as evidence, to pass a guilty verdict in murder trials.

Imthiyaz said that the law will be enforced one year after the date of ratification by the president, which would allow time to propose amendments to clauses that contradict other laws.