Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has filed a case with the High Court on Thursday seeking the declaration of Addu City’s ‘Skoop’ group as a gang in the first such classification sought under the new Prevention of Gang and Other Serious Offences Act, which came into force in August 2025.
The move comes after President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu publicly declared that there no more groups that meet the requirements for ‘gang’ under the new legislature. The President detailed that he had inquired from Home Minister Ali Ihusaan about the number of gangs identified under the new law.
“The Home Minister was very happy and said there is no more. They sent a list to the prosecutor, the prosecutor said there are no gangs that meet the requirement now. All the former members of these gangs stopped their criminal activity. These youth, they have returned to normal lives now, and are even in business,” the President had said on November 17th.
He added that only a few groups remain that could be classified as gangs, and described the shift as a major step forward in protecting youth through legal restrictions and tough penalties.
PGO, on Thursday, said they decided to seek ‘Skoop’ group’s classification as a gang after reviewing evidence submitted by Maldives Police Service. In this regard, the Office detailed that the group meets the criteria of a gang under the new legislature and is actively engaged in criminal activities.
Apart from the declaration ‘Skoop’ group as a gang, PGO has also sought a court order on the Sports Commissioner to dissolve ‘SKP Sports Club’, which is affiliated with the group, and a court order on Addu City Council to remove ‘Skoop’, ‘Skoop Kanmathi’ and ‘SKP’ graffitied on walls.
This is the second group referred by the Police to PGO for gang classification. The first case filed by the Police was sent back for verification of further information. As such, ‘Skoop’ marks the first group for which a court ruling has been sought on declaration as a gang.
“Once the court delivers a ruling in the matter, we will work alongside Maldives Police Service to take action against the group and its members under the law,” PGO added.
The Prevention of Gang and Other Serious Offences Act was passed by Parliament on May 15 and ratified by the President on May 25. It arms law enforcement agencies with greater powers to curb gang activity.
Under the Act, the Police has to request classification as a gang from PGO, which, after completing the necessary processes, will file a case with the High Court. The law allows the alleged “gang” to respond to the allegations before such a declaration.