CJ Ghani urges unified effort to restore public faith in state institutions

The only way to restore public faith in state institutions amid the prevalence of gang-related crimes and the social issues that come with it is for institutions to work together for a common goal, says Chief Justice Abdul Ghani Mohamed.

 He made the remark on Monday, at the closing of a training program for judges that took place in ADh. Maamigili on the new anti-gang laws.

Addressing the closing ceremony, Ghani said that all relevant state agencies must work together for a common goal in order to effectively achieve the purpose of the new laws.

“I believe there are certain legal institutions that need to work together to enforce these new laws. These are institutions granted special powers under this Act. While these institutions may be charged with different mandates under this law, the outcome that it aims to produce is a common outcome,” he said.

“Our society will not reap the benefits of this law unless we work together for a common goal. This is the only way if we want to restore the lost public faith.”

The new laws on gang-related crimes and other dangerous crimes took effect in August, granting law-enforcement agencies greater powers to combat gang crimes, including the power to enter and search private properties and make arrests without a court warrant, hold suspects for up to 48 hours while denying them the right to meet a lawyer, and deny them bail.

The new laws also prescribe lengthy prison sentences exceeding 10 years and hefty fines.