Attorney General Ahmed Usham has announced that the government is preparing to submit a constitutional amendment to limit the number of parliamentarians during the current parliamentary session.

The announcement came in response to a question from Vaikaradhoo MP Hussain Ziyad, who had previously expressed his intention to propose an amendment with the same objective. Usham confirmed that work is ongoing to present the amendment to the Parliament soon.

During the same session, MP Ziyad also raised concerns about the progress of a bill submitted last year to amend the Penal Code, aimed at making it easier to prosecute state officials who accumulate illicit wealth. Usham clarified that no bill has been delayed in the Judiciary Committee due to his influence and emphasised that Parliament operates independently as one of the state’s key institutions.

The bill to amend Article 515 of the Penal Code was submitted to Parliament on 4 November 2024 by Maafushi MP Hussain Riza Adam on behalf of the government. It was accepted on 13 November and sent to the Judiciary Committee for review.