Sri Lanka–Maldives mutual legal assistance agreement regulation approved by Justice Committee

Colombo, May 29 (Daily Mirror) - The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice and National Integration has approved the regulation relating to the agreement between Sri Lanka and the Maldives on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.

The regulation, issued by the Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara, concerns the agreement signed in July 2025 between the two governments under the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act No. 25 of 2002.

The approval was granted at a recent committee meeting held in Parliament under the chairmanship of Minister Nanayakkara. The order, published in Extraordinary Gazette No. 2470/04 dated 05 January 2026, was tabled in Parliament on 19 May 2026.

The agreement provides a framework for mutual legal cooperation between Sri Lanka and the Maldives in criminal investigations and prosecutions, including offences related to terrorism, as well as the tracing, freezing, forfeiture, and confiscation of funds linked to terrorist financing and proceeds of crime.

During the meeting, attention was also drawn to staffing shortages in the judicial sector, with officials noting 2,647 vacancies due to a halt in recruitment since 2018. The Minister instructed officials to expedite recruitment processes.

Members also raised issues affecting the judiciary, prisons, and legal services, with the committee directing relevant authorities to take remedial action. Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala and other MPs and officials from the Justice Ministry attended the meeting.