Officials discuss releasing suspects held indefinitely under a monitoring mechanism

State officials discussed creating a mechanism where individuals detained pending the outcome of their trial can be released while remaining under monitoring if they meet certain requirements on Thursday, amid growing concern regarding the high number of suspects and defendants being held in jail indefinitely as their trials drag on.

The Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) launched its ‘Bandhu Forum’ earlier this month – a series of talks aimed at addressing the issue of indefinite detentions. The first edition as held on February 1 with officials from the Attorney General’s Office, Maldives Police Service, Maldives Correctional Service, Maldives Immigration, and the Human Rights Commission of Maldives.

The second edition was held on Thursday with officials from the judiciary.

In a statement on Friday, the PGO said the second edition of the ‘Bandhu Forum’ was attended by over 60 judges from the High Court, Criminal Court, Drug Court, and Juvenile Court, as well as magistrate courts.

They engaged in discussions on six main focus areas including creating a centralized scheduling system to reduce cancellation of hearings, and ways to resolve challenges in presenting witnesses to court.

They also discussed having administrative formalities done outside of trial in order to reduce the number of pre-trial hearings, the expansion of the bail system, and creating an electronic mechanism to share case-related documents.

Another key focus area was the creation of a mechanism where individuals jailed pending the outcome of trial can be released through a monitoring mechanism if they meet certain requirements.

During the forum, judges highlighted on the challenges they face in conducting trials, including a shortage of human resources, and space constraints and a shortage of necessary resources.

The PGO has said that the main focus on the ‘Bandhu Forum’ is to revise policies on holding suspects in jail pending the outcome of their trial and other policies related to the trial process in order to enhance the criminal justice system and ascertain the protection of the rights of both suspects and the general public.

During the first edition of the forum held on February 1, officials concurred that there is no issue with holding suspects in jail pending the outcome of their trial, but that the issue lies with delays in their trial.

During his 2023 presidential campaign, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu had pledged to resolve the issue of indefinite detentions. And in March 2024, he said the administration would make legal reforms towards that end.