PNC-super majority parliament accepts bill granting authority to police to freeze accounts

The People’s National Congress (PNC) super-majority parliament has accepted the amendment bill to Criminal Procedure Act, seeking to authorize police to freeze bank accounts involved in scams.

Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) lawmaker from North-Galolhu constituency, Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudoo) sponsored the bill seeks to amend Article 73(a) of the Act.

At Tuesday’s sitting, lawmakers debated on the bill with several pro-government MPs arguing the need for it while emphasizing to launch holistic reforms, including Banking Act amendments.

The PNC parliamentary group leader and Inguraidhoo MP Ibrahim Falah argued the bill’s importance and noted that the government had intended to propose the bill as well.

Falah, while highlighting the rising number of scam incidents, also noted that the bill’s sponsor had proposed the amendments with good intention, with the aim of reducing criminal activities.

“The bill’s sponsor is a well-disciplined MP, so I believe he proposed the bill with good intentions,” Falah said.

The bill was accepted at the parliament with 72 member votes and subsequently sent to Judiciary Committee to review.

As per current law, police are required to seek a court warrant to freeze bank accounts if they suspect any bank account is utilized for major criminal activities including scams. The amendment seeks to bypass the requirement for a court warrant, thereby saving time for the law enforcement authority to reach the culprits.

The amendment also stipulates that such orders can be issued by police officers of sub-inspector rank or above. The bill further proposes police to promptly flag these accounts with the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) and the bank where the suspected accounts have been opened.