Prosecutor General’s Office to Fully Digitise Legal Operations by 2028

The Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has launched 'PGO 2.0,' an ambitious digital transformation project aimed at fully digitising prosecution workflows by 2028. Prosecutor General Abbas Shareef announced that the initiative will modernise the office's operations to the highest level permitted by law, significantly increasing efficiency and accessibility. A primary goal of the project is to eliminate geographical barriers for staff. Within the first 100 days, all 199 employees will be equipped with mobile work devices. This allows the 149 staff members currently without such tools to work remotely and handle urgent tasks outside traditional office hours without needing to travel to the central office. Critical infrastructure upgrades are also a priority. The PG noted that none of the office's 60 critical systems currently have off-site backups. PGO 2.0 will implement a secure, external server backup system within the first 100 days. Furthermore, the project aims to phase out the manual submission of paper cases to courts in the islands, moving toward a fully digital filing system. The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be a cornerstone of the 2028 vision. Prosecutor General Abbas Shareef explained that AI will act as an assistant to prosecutors rather than a replacement. For instance, reviewing files from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)—a process that currently takes months—could be reduced to a single day. The PG emphasised that AI will assist in reviews, but human prosecutors will retain all decision-making authority regarding prosecutions. To ensure safety, the PGO has developed governance tools based on United Nations international principles. AI usage will be subject to strict standards, including 15 mandatory risk checks per case and annual document reviews. Once completed, the project is expected to increase the rate of case submissions to courts by 60 per cent. The PG assured the public that services will remain equitable regardless of location, with all guidance available in Dhivehi and non-digital options preserved for those who require them.