Prosecutor General's Office has said that 417 individuals charged with major crimes remain on indefinite remand in custody. They said that 57 currently remain without being transferred to remand jail due to space constraints.
Prosecutor General's Office has said that 417 individuals charged with major crimes remain on indefinite remand in custody. They said that 57 currently remain without being transferred to remand jail due to space constraints.
As per last year's annual report by the PG Office, 21 of these 57 individuals are in custody at centres across the atolls.
The report says that there are 10 individuals who have been in custody for over 200 days without transfer to remand jail.
Most of those who are in custody till end of trial, and have been transferred to remand jail are in Maafushi Prison. Maafushi Prison currently houses 285 such individuals, while there are 70 at Hulhumale' Prison and 3 minors at Juvenile Detention Centre. Two on remand in custody until the end of trial are currently under house arrest.
Four persons have been in remand in custody for the longest period of time - 6 years. Eight others have been in custody for over 5 years, and twenty two for over 4 years.
Thirty nine individuals have been in custody for over 3 years, while sixty nine persons have been in custody for over 2 years, the report says. A total of eighty three persons have been held in custody for a period of over 1 year.
The report says that of those held in custody until the end of trial, remand has been reviewed for those in custody for over 30 days. Of these, leniencies have been granted where possible, and those who still remain in custody are only those deemed necessary.
It said that conditional release had been granted to those charged with minor crimes, those who do not pose a threat to society, and those whose period of being held in remand is equal to the sentence that would be passed on them were they convicted of the accused crimes.
The PG Office said that release has not been granted to persons accused of sexual abuse of a minor, possession of dangerous weapons, murder, drug trafficking, and any acts that pose a threat to society.
However, the audit report of the PG Office states that remand review is not conducted adequately as per set regulations.
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