The Bangladesh High Commission has said that work on an agreement between the two countries to transfer Bangladeshi nationals currently serving sentences in Maldivian prisons back to Bangladesh — where they would complete the remainder of their sentences — is now in its final stage.

According to a report published in the Bangladeshi newspaper Dhaka Tribune, a statement issued by the Bangladesh High Commission last Friday said the relevant authorities of both countries are working together to reach a swift resolution on the agreement. The statement added that once the remaining legal procedures are completed, the agreement will be formally signed and come into effect.

Bangladesh believes the agreement will further strengthen ties between the two countries in legal and human rights matters, and will create important opportunities for the mental well-being of the prisoners and their reintegration into society, according to Dhaka Tribune.

As part of this effort, a delegation from the High Commission — at the initiative of Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to the Maldives, Dr. Mohammad Nazmul Islam — visited Maafushi Prison. During the visit, they met with 44 Bangladeshi prisoners and checked on their condition, the report said. Of them, 34 have been convicted and are serving sentences, while the remaining 10 are in pre-trial detention.

The delegation met each prisoner individually and reviewed the prison environment, medical care, food, clothing, and sleeping arrangements. They then met with the Maldives Correctional Service to convey the prisoners’ complaints and concerns, and the High Commission also requested that legal services owed to them under the law be provided promptly, Dhaka Tribune reported.

The Maldivian government has not yet released any official information about the agreement.