The Maldives will make its artificial intelligence (AI) governance framework and training curriculum for prosecution available to interested jurisdictions at no cost, Prosecutor General Abbas Shareef has announced.
Delivering the Statement of the Republic of Maldives at the High-Level Segment of the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the Prosecutor General outlined the Maldives’ approach to the responsible use of AI in prosecution.
He said the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has developed an AI governance framework and related training curriculum, which will be shared with interested jurisdictions free of charge.
The Prosecutor General also highlighted safeguards governing the use of AI in prosecution, stressing that decisions to charge individuals will remain the responsibility of prosecutors.
“A machine may assist a prosecutor; it will never substitute human judgment,” Prosecutor General Abbas Shareef said at the UN Crime Congress.
He said the PGO is using AI as an assistant to support prosecutors in their work, while decisions relating to prosecution will continue to be made independently by prosecutors within the legal framework.
He also said the use of AI in material submitted to courts will be disclosed where AI has been used in preparing such material.
The Prosecutor General highlighted the digital transformation of the PGO under the Maldives 2.0 vision, noting that the office has digitised its operations and introduced AI tools specifically for prosecution-related work.
He said the PGO’s AI governance framework is intended to promote responsible use of the technology while maintaining human oversight and accountability in prosecutorial decision-making.
The Prosecutor General also highlighted the growing challenge of cybercrime in the Maldives. He said cybercrime cases doubled during the first six months of this year, while noting that only a relatively small proportion of such cases had been submitted to the PGO for prosecution.
He identified challenges including insufficient evidence, financial issues and the involvement of individuals located overseas.
The Prosecutor General said legal reforms had been introduced this year to address such challenges, including amendments to the Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code and legislation governing legal assistance in criminal matters, in line with the Budapest Convention.
The 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice is being held in Abu Dhabi from 26 September to 1 October.