The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by the President's Office against an order by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICOM) to disclose receipts of expenses during President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's trip to New York in September 2021.
Details of expenses and receipts from the president's visit to the US were sought by the online newspaper Dhiyares, which filed a complaint with the Information Commissioner when the President's Office decided to only provide the total amount for the expenses.
ICOM ordered the disclosure of receipts with redactions. The High Court upheld ICOM's decision when the President's Office challenged it. The President's Office then appealed the High Court judgment at the Supreme Court on July 2.
The court's registrar decided not to accept the President's Office appeal, according to the registry of cases published on the Supreme Court website.
The registrar's decision can be appealed for a review by Supreme Court justices, who could overrule the registrar and decide to hear the appeal.
The President's Office gave the total amount spent on the trip when details of expenses were requested under the right to information law. The amount was about MVR 5.3 million.
The president travelled to New York for the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. He was accompanied by First Lady Fazna Ahmed and a delegation from the President's Office.
