President's Office Classifies Receipts From President Solih's MVR5 Million New York Trip

The President's Office has decided to classify the receipts from the visit made by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to New York City between September 18th to 26th.

The President's Office had decided thus in the written answer provided in response to a request submitted by The Maldives Journal. The Maldives Journal had previously lodged a request for information on the cost of the President's trip to New York City; finding the information to be dubious, The Maldives Journal had requested the President's Office for further proof of the information's veracity in the form of receipts.

In the written response, the President's Office wrote that they had chosen to classify the receipts for security purposes and because they contained personal information about third parties. The President's Office had neglected to mention how disclosing a receipt could pose a threat to security.

The President's Office had disclosed that the total cost of President Solih's trip to New York had been MVR5,354,709.08.

The Maldives Journal has decided to appeal the President's Office's decision to the Information Commissioner's Office.