Police decides to release all persons arrested for criminal investigation

The Maldives Police Services has decided not to keep any person arrested for criminal investigation upon suspicion of committing a crime, and released some 11 persons who had recently being arrested and put in custody. The police have stated that they would henceforth discontinue the practice, which had been carried out under Article 48 of the Constitution.

The Police released a Statement today, with regard to the case decided on Monday this week in which the Criminal Court decided that the police had arrested Ghassan Maumoon that same day illegally. The Statement criticized the decision of the Criminal Court, and claimed that the police had acted in cases of arresting persons suspected of criminal behavior in accord with Articles 46 and 48 of the Constitution, and also in accord with the Case Number 19 and 20 decided by the Supreme Court of the Maldives in August 2010.

“As the Criminal Court decided that the Police had not, in arresting Ghassan Maumoon on the 24th of this October, acted in accord with the rules laid down by the Supreme Court, the Maldives Police Service shall discontinue keeping any persons in custody in cases of suspected criminal activities, until another legal principle comes along”, read the Police Statement.

The same Statement also said that some 11 persons arrested and kept in custody had been released today, as all persons needed to be treated equally.

Meanwhile, many have been expressing concern that the Maldives Police Services, taking orders from the Executive Branch, is rising out of its legal stand to challenge the Maldivian Judiciary. Senior leaders of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the Party’s National Council has constantly attacked the Judiciary recently and have tried to instigate popular uprisings against the Judges of the Maldives, saying that the latter are not dispensing justice properly, and that they are under influence from the senior officials of the former government.