Prosecutor General (PG) Hussain Shameem has said that the government must reach a decision on the implementation of the death penalty on Ali Shifan (Tholhi Peley) murder convict Mohamed Shaifan.
The PG's statement was made at Thursday's press conference in response to a question posed to him with regard to Supreme Court's decision to uphold High Court's death sentence ruling against Shaifan.
Shaifan has been convicted of murder in 2016 for the attack on Shifan of Ma. Merry Corner outside West Park in 2012. He is one of six charged in the case.
This is the first instance since 2016 where the Supreme Court has ruled to uphold a sentence of capital punishment.
Shameem declined from commenting on the matter today, stating that the PG office had no jurisdiction in the implementation of the death penalty. He said that the matter needed to be decided upon by the government instead.
"I believe the government needs to reach a decision regarding the implementation. As per the laws on the matter, we have no roles in it," he replied.
Shameem explained that a regulation drafted by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2015 stated that a representative from the PG Office must be present at the implementation of the death penalty. However, he rejected this regulation, stating that such a decision can only be made through its inclusion in a law.
Death sentences can be implemented after the Supreme Court upholds such rulings. At the moment, there are four persons against whom the Supreme Court has approved capital punishment.
However, Maldives has had a moratorium on the death penalty since 1953.
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