Auditor General (AG) Ibrahim Riffath has instructed Prosecutor General (PG) Aishath Bisham to request courts to monthly review the detention of all prisoners held under state custody until the conclusion of their trials.
The amendment brought by AG suggests the release of the detainees if the court finds the detention of such individuals unimportant. The new changes also requires PG to submit a biannual report to the parliament explaining the state approach to treating indefinite detentions. With the new changes, if detaining an individual is deemed unimportant by the court, PG is required to cancel the detention and free them.
It is understood that 164 people have been detained for more than a year under state custody without a sentence, while some detainees have spent over 5 years under arrest without the courts issuing a verdict.