Maldives requested to sign first extradition agreement with Russia

Russia has requested Maldives to sign its first extradition agreement, following the enforcement of the Extradition Act which is presently in the parliament, with Russia.

This request was made by Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika, who departed from the Maldives this morning after a two-day visit.

Maldivian Prosecutor General Muhthaz Muhsin said in an interview at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport this morning, “An agreement was reached between us and the Russian Prosecutor General, to sign the first extradition agreement regarding cooperation with Russia following the passing of the Extradition Act. As you would be aware of, the Extradition Bill and the Mutual Legal Assistance Bill are presently in the parliament. Once they are passed, we have to sign agreements with certain countries to establish relations under the law. They have expressed interest in us signing the first agreement with Russia. We have given our commitment,” said Muhsin.

Referring to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the governments of Russia and Maldives yesterday, Muhsin said that under this agreement, Russia will provide human resource development opportunities for Maldivians including training at the Academy of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia.

When asked by a reporter if any discussions took place regarding the arrest of a Russian national in the Maldives, who was then taken by officials of the United States, Muhsin said that this was not discussed during the meetings with the Russian Prosecutor General.