The new management of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) has decided to comply with requests under the right to information (RTI) law, changing the stance that it was not accountable under the RTI law.
HDC's decision was revealed during hearings held by the Information Commissioner's Office of Maldives (ICOM) over the company's refusal to comply with requests to disclose information.
The cases include information sought by Adhadhu as well. The information was requested in August last year but nearly six months later HDC has neither responded nor acknowledged receipt of the request.
At a hearing of the case held by ICOM yesterday, HDC Information Officer Ahmed Mimrah said the previous management withheld information because it did not believe the company was included under the meaning of state institutions stated in the RTI law.
"...that was information that we withheld in line with advice from the legal team that advises us. However, the management has changed, and the management's stand is to not to withhold any information, and to properly provide information as necessary to the party that requested it," he said, revealing the change in stance.
HDC now says it will answer all pending requests for information in the coming days.
Government companies held the stand of refusing to disclose information despite the High Court ruling that all entities that receive funding from the state budget are subject to the RTI law.
However, citing the lack of a final judgment from the Supreme Court on state-owned companies falling under the RTI law, most companies continue to deny right to information requests. The companies that refuse to comply include public companies and 100 percent government-owned companies.
