Parliament passes bill to empower key presidential commissions

The Parliament, this Wednesday, passed the sunset legislature to empower the Commission on Investigation of Murders and Enforced Disappearances and the Commission on Corruption and Asset Recovery.

All revisions proposed to the bill were rejected during committee evaluation, and the bill passed intact with the majority vote of 62 parliamentarians.

The two commissions, once the bill is ratified by the President, will receive sweeping powers due to an investigative agency.

THE POWERS:

• Authority to establish commissions’ bylaws
• Authority to seek assistance from Maldives Police Service and other State institutions for investigations
• Authority to hire international investigators
• Authority to seek assistance from Maldives Police Service for raids and search operations
• Authority to confiscate evidence collected during raids
• Authority to freeze bank accounts of suspects under investigation
• Authority to request court orders

The two commissions will also have exclusive jurisdiction over the cases under their investigation and the authority to compel other investigative agencies to share information and hand over evidence.

The bill also establishes any act of obstruction to the commissions’ investigations as a criminal offense