PG travels to Russia for extradition deal

The Prosecutor General (PG) Muhthaz Muhsin has left for Russia today where he will sign multiple agreements, officials from the PG’s Office have revealed.

“One would be regarding extradition and the other on mutual legal assistance between the two countries,” said a spokesman.

It is not clear whether the two countries would sign an agreement or an MOU, he added.

Muhthaz got the invitation to visit Russia last November when the Russian PG Yuri Chaika visited the Maldives.

President Abdulla Yameen had pledged to introduce a bilateral extradition treaty after the controversial detention of Russian national Roman Seleznyov in July last year.

The alleged hacker was detained by Maldivian authorities before being transported to the US military base in Guam, with Russian authorities calling it a “kidnapping” by the US Secret Service.

Despite a decline of 13 percent in the number of Russian arrivals last year – partly caused by the fall in the rouble – over 65,000 Russian tourists visited the Maldives in 2014, placing it fourth in terms of market share.

PG Muhthaz left with Deputy PG Mahmood Saleem and legal affairs director Mohamed Iyas. The delegation will return to the Maldives on March 15.

The PG’s trip comes during the state’s controversial prosecution of former President Mohamed Nasheed and former defence minister Mohamed Nazim.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)