Denied Request For Information On Shahid's Travel Expenses Appealed At ICOM

Dhiyares; the sister-newspaper of The Maldives Journal; has appealed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' denial to honour its request for information. Dhiyares had requested information on the costs of Minister Abdullah Shahid's travels abroad.

On 18 August 2021, Dhiyares had requested for detailled information on Minister Shahid's travels abroad between 1 June 2020 and the end of July 2021. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not responded to Dhiyares' request. After the period granted to the Ministry by law had expired, Dhiyares had contacted the Ministry's Information Officer who said that the request would be honoured on 28 October. However, no information had been provided on that date. The Ministry's Information Officer had declined to provide any comment regarding Dhiyares' request for information.

Abdullah Shahid has travelled abroad extensively within his capacity as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Prior to being elected President of the United Nations General Assembly, Minister Shahid had visited the United States where he spent a full month at one of the most expensive hotels in New York City. It is estimated that Minister Shahid's travels would have cost the State several million Rufiyaa.

The State has proposed a budget of more than MVR 200 million for travel expenses for 2022.