A bill targeting scams, proposed by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), was accepted for consideration, and referred to committee, by parliament on Tuesday.
The bill, proposed by Mohamed Ibrahim (MDP), Member of Parliament for North Galolhu, will empower the police to seize bank accounts without a court order to prevent the circulation of money related to fraud cases.
The bill, which looks to introduce an amendment to Section 73 of the Criminal Procedure Act, was accepted by a majority of all 72 members present.
The amendment to Section 73(a) of the Act classifies as a serious criminal offence, among other things, instances where money is withdrawn from an account by fraud or through scams, or other duplicitous means.
The bill empowers the police to take action to protect the rights of the account holder or a third party during the time it takes for the court to make a determination, allowing the police to initially act without a court order.
The proposed amendment will facilitate;
- The police to issue an order to seize funds in an account, or other accounts to which the funds have been transferred, or to prevent transactions involving such funds
- An order be issued by an officer of rank Sub-Inspector of Police or above
- The bank or institution where the account was opened, as well as the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), be notified immediately of any such action by the police
Several MPs from the administration-aligned People’s National Congress (PNC) who spoke on the bill said that, while the amendment will empower the police to seize bank accounts without a court order, scams cannot be eliminated without amending the banking law.