Criminal Court of Maldives has formulated the policy to conduct trials via video conferencing.
Criminal Court formulated the policy in order to facilitate the continuation of trials while cooperating with the efforts of the government to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Maldives. The policy was passed unanimously by the judges’ bench of the court.
The policy states the court can conduct trials via video conferencing during a State of Health Emergency, to make decisions on the remand of individuals detained upon criminal allegations and to obtain witness statements. A defendant who is in a different region of the country can be summoned to the court of the respective island or region for the video conference if the defendant provides written consent to do so, according to the policy formulated by Criminal Court.
The policy also states the allocated judge has the authority to take immediate action on any individual whose actions are deemed to violate the integrity of court during the video conferencing sessions.