The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has today submitted an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act, which seeks to empower the police to freeze bank accounts in scam cases without requiring a court warrant.
The bill, introduced by Mohamed Ibrahim, the MDP parliament member for North-Galolhu, during Monday’s sitting, responds to a request made by the Maldives Police Service at the Independent Institutions Committee meeting on July 31. During that meeting, the police sought a legal reform to enhance their capacity to combat scam activities.
The amendment proposes changes to Article 73(a) of the Act, which currently mandates a court warrant for freezing bank accounts suspected of involvement in criminal activities. Under the new proposal, police officers of sub-inspector rank or higher would be authorised to freeze accounts and halt transactions related to suspected scams without a court warrant.
Additionally, the amendment would allow police to promptly notify the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) and the relevant commercial bank to implement account freezes.
