Long-overdue review of Penal Code bill to be completed this month

Chair of the Committee on review of the Penal Code, Naifaru MP Ahmed Mohamed has said that the long-overdue review of the Penal Code bill will be completed and sent to the Parliament this month.

In an interview with Sun Online today, Ahmed Mohamed said that by last Wednesday, review had been completed of 1204 articles of the bill.

“We are now completing the pending items which were set aside earlier, and obtaining opinions of different groups on these matters. If the Parliament continues without disruption, we can send the bill to the Parliament floor before the end of the month,” he said.

The Penal Code bill was first sent to the Parliament in 2006.

The current Penal Code in effect in the Maldives is the Penal Code passed in 1961.

Ahmed Mohamed said that the new Penal Code will include categorisation of crimes and tables for penalties.

He said that the punishment of exile has been eliminated from the Penal Code.

“The penalties have been revised to suit current times. Exile has been eliminated almost completely,” he said.

He said that a copy of the reviewed Penal Code will be sent to MPs shortly for their views. He was confident that the bill will be passed without extensive discussion at the Parliament.

Ahmed Mohamed said that the review of this bill was delayed due to various problems, such as Parliament unrest, lack of space and disruptions.