Prosecutor General (PG) Justice (Retired) Uz Abbas Shareef has called for enhanced international cooperation to dismantle organised criminal networks engaged in defrauding people of their money through scams and other fraudulent schemes.

He made the remarks while addressing the 35th session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), currently taking place in Vienna, Austria.

In his address, PG Shareef highlighted the rapid advancement of technology worldwide and noted that the misuse of technological tools for criminal activities has increased significantly. He further observed that organised scam operations have also grown considerably in the Maldives.

The Prosecutor General noted that countries in South and Southeast Asia alone are estimated to lose between USD 18 billion and USD 37 billion annually to scam-related crimes, many of which involve transnational fraud networks. He stressed that combating such schemes cannot be achieved by countries acting independently.

He emphasised that effective action requires robust mechanisms for intelligence-sharing among law enforcement agencies, as well as coordinated cross-border investigations. The PG said that strengthening cooperation between countries is essential to disrupting and dismantling organised scam networks operating across jurisdictions.

Shareef further highlighted that countries possess varying levels of technological capability to detect and investigate increasingly sophisticated scams conducted through digital platforms. As such, he underscored the importance of sharing expertise, resources and technological capabilities among nations to strengthen collective responses to these crimes.

He also pointed out that smaller countries such as the Maldives particularly benefit from the support and assistance of larger nations with more advanced resources and capacities.

The PG reaffirmed the Maldives' commitment to working closely with international partners in this area. He stated that the Maldives stands ready to cooperate with other countries and to provide all possible assistance and support for investigations into transnational fraud and scam-related offences.

The conference is being held in Vienna, Austria, from 1 to 5 June.