Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath has stated the Second Amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act has shortened the route for justice.
Following the ratification of the amendment, Attorney General Riffath said the amendment has paved the way for faster and more efficient trials by allowing hearings to be conducted via audio and video conferencing means. He noted the long route for justice has now been shortened with the amendment.
The new amendment states judges are provided the discretion to hold court through audio and video conferencing means, if special circumstances warrant. In determining whether special circumstances exist, judges may refer to factors such as the country being under a state of emergency or if the country has suffered a crisis which makes travelling to court unsafe.
Judges can also determine a circumstance as special if parties cannot bear the costs of travelling to court, are unable to travel in inclement weather, or do not have access to adequate transport-arrangements, especially in light of the dispersed geography of the Maldives. Furthermore, the amendment states if there are unforeseen challenges in conducting regular trials within a respective jurisdiction and if delays would hinder access to justice, judges can hold the court through audio and video conferencing means.
Despite the discretion to determine if it is appropriate to hold trials through audio or video conferencing means, judges may proceed with such arrangements only if the defendant does not object. The amendment also stipulates that recordings of court sessions held via audio and video conferencing methods must be stored and archived for 25 years after the conclusion of the trial.