Friday
19th Apr 2024
Dhivehi Edition
Political appointees
President’s Office misses ICOM deadline to disclose details of political appointees
President Solih. Photo: President's Office.
The President’s Office refused to disclose details of all political appointees within the deadline issued by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICOM).
Citing the “Right to Information Act”, TMJ requested the details of all the political appointments, with their names and posts, between November 17, 2018 and August 14, 2022.
However, the government refused to disclose the details of the political posts, with the names of the post holders and their appointment dates.
Therefore, an official complaint was submitted by TMJ to the ICOM. At a hearing held today at ICOM, the President’s Office maintained their stand that the requested information had no basis for disclosure.
The Information Commissioner Aahidh Rasheed stated that the requested information carried no legal exception and therefore, the government must disclose the details within the next 14 days of the ruling.
The duration of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration has seen a dramatic increase in political appointments. However, the President’s Office has effectively missed the two-week deadline given by ICOM to disclose the information.