Maldives Launches ‘PGO 2.0’ to Digitally Transform Prosecutorial System with AI Integration

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has officially launched PGO 2.0, an ambitious initiative designed to transition all operations of the Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office into a fully paperless, modern digital system. 

Driven by a special two-year digital transformation policy, the project aims to completely modernise prosecutorial workflows, with full implementation set for completion by 2028.

Under the new framework, prosecutors will be equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistants to exponentially enhance their research capabilities, evaluate evidence, streamline administrative duties, and draft legal documents. 

Highlighting the dramatic efficiency gains, Prosecutor General Abbas Shareef noted during the launch ceremony that analysing a batch of 25 complex files from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)—a process that traditionally takes up to three months—can now be completed in a single day using AI.

However, Abbas stressed that the technology is intended solely to boost productivity and quality, reaffirming that human authority will remain absolute. 

AI will simply assist prosecutors, but decisions will ultimately be made by prosecutors, Shareef explained, confirming that AI will not be used to decide on pressing charges or conduct trial proceedings.

To ensure safety and ethical compliance, the PG Office spent the past five months developing AI governance tools aligned with international UN agency guidelines. Under this framework, every case will undergo a 15-step risk-assessment process before reaching the AI stage, with governance protocols subject to mandatory annual reviews.

The initiative also introduces swift operational upgrades targeted for its first 100 days. To support flexible and remote work, the PG Office will provide work-issued mobile devices to all staff, addressing a current gap where 149 out of 199 employees lack dedicated hardware. Within the same timeframe, the office will secure off-site sovereign backups for its 60 critical systems and begin digitising paper-heavy case filings submitted to island courts.

Beyond internal reforms, PGO 2.0 focuses heavily on public accessibility. The ceremony featured the launch of a new official PGO website and two mobile applications—eDhoroashi and Lethun—which grant the public direct access to Maldivian laws, regulations, legal policies, court rulings, and their English translations. Concurrently, the PGO Academy unveiled a new legal text titled Evidence: A Practitioner’s Guide, published under the Evidence Act.

Abbas emphasised that these services will deliver equal access across all regions, offering guidance in the Dhivehi language while maintaining non-digital options for those who require them. Upon the project's conclusion in 2028, the PG Office expects to accelerate case submissions to court by 60 percent, establishing itself as a fully digitised prosecutorial authority operating at the maximum capacity permitted by law.