The Government of the Maldives has proposed an amendment to the Legal Profession Act to allow the Bar Council to investigate lawyers for crimes they commit that are unrelated to their profession.
Parliamentarian Yoosuf Ali submitted the bill, which proposes to amend Article 54 of the Legal Profession Act, which currently does not allow the Bar Council to take disciplinary action against lawyers over actions taken that are unrelated to the profession. The amendment proposes to allow the Bar Council to investigate public complaints filed against lawyers regarding any action they have taken that violates criminal laws or undermines the trust in the justice system.
The amendment also proposes to allow the Bar Council to begin its own investigation into lawyers. The Legal Profession Act currently does not allow the Bar Council to begin its own investigations or accept complaints related to lawyers being accused or found guilty of criminal offenses.