President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that work has begun today to ease the detention of those in remand custody through an electronic monitoring system with conditions set by the court. In a post shared on social media, the President said that as part of the efforts initiated by state institutions to find a solution for those in detention pending trial, the process of easing detention through an electronic monitoring system with court-imposed conditions has begun. The President also said that through this work started today, solutions will be found for this long-standing issue, and relief will be provided to the detention of those who meet the conditions.
The Prosecutor General’s Office had also announced on the 21st of this month that they have decided to review the detention of those who could potentially be given relief through an electronic monitoring system with court-imposed conditions, and to proceed with easing their detention starting from today.
The Prosecutor General’s Office said that before doing this, they will assess the risk to community safety. They stated that to determine who could be given detention relief, a special assessment will be prepared through the Maldives Police Service and Maldives Correctional Service to identify the risks to community safety and security if these individuals are released into the community with conditions for monitoring. The PG Office said that this assessment will specify the level of monitoring these agencies recommend for those given detention relief, and that this assessment will be prepared by the police at the request of the PG Office.
Resolving the issue of remand detention is a promise of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu. As such, the President has said that he has tasked relevant institutions with examining whether at least one-third of those arrested for investigation of various cases and held in “remand detention” could be released with tags. Speaking on a “With the People” podcast, the President said that the permanent best solution to the issue of keeping people in “remand detention” is to expedite the investigation and conclusion of cases, and that the government will provide the necessary assistance for this.
