Maldives to share AI prosecution framework globally for free
Maldives will offer AI governance framework and prosecutor training curriculum free to jurisdictions seeking responsible use of technology
MALÉ, Maldives (MNTV) — Maldives will make its artificial intelligence governance framework for criminal prosecution available to countries and jurisdictions worldwide free of charge, offering a model designed to introduce AI into justice systems while keeping decisions about whether to prosecute people under human control.
The initiative will give interested jurisdictions access to both the AI governance framework developed by the Maldives Prosecutor General’s Office and a related training curriculum for prosecutors, potentially allowing other justice systems to adapt the country’s approach without paying for the materials.
Prosecutor General Abbas Shareef announced the offer at the United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi, where he outlined how Maldives has begun integrating AI into prosecutorial work.
Under the Maldivian framework, AI can assist prosecutors but cannot decide whether an individual should face criminal charges. That authority will remain exclusively with human prosecutors operating under the country’s legal system.
“A machine may assist a prosecutor; it will never substitute human judgment,” Shareef said.
The framework also requires transparency when the technology enters the judicial process. Prosecutors will disclose when AI has been used to help prepare material submitted to courts, a safeguard intended to preserve accountability as the technology assumes a greater role in legal work.
Maldives has digitized the operations of its Prosecutor General’s Office and introduced AI tools specifically designed to assist prosecution work as part of the government’s wider Maldives 2.0 digital transformation program.
By making its framework and training curriculum freely available, the small Indian Ocean nation is seeking to contribute its experience to a wider international debate over how governments can deploy rapidly developing AI technology in criminal justice without surrendering human oversight.
The initiative comes as governments and courts worldwide grapple with questions surrounding accuracy, transparency, bias and accountability when AI systems are used in areas that can directly affect individual rights and liberty.
Maldives is simultaneously confronting a sharp increase in technology-enabled crime. Cybercrime cases in the country doubled during the first six months of 2026, although only a relatively small proportion ultimately reached prosecutors.
Authorities have identified difficulties in obtaining sufficient evidence, tracing financial transactions and pursuing suspects or other people involved in cases from overseas.
Maldives has responded with amendments this year to its Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and laws governing international legal assistance in criminal cases.
The reforms were introduced in line with the Budapest Convention, an international treaty providing a framework for cooperation against cybercrime.
The UN crime congress is being held in Abu Dhabi from Sept. 26 through Oct. 1.
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