The Attorney General’s office yesterday defended the previous government’s refusal to disclose receipts of expenses from former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s trip to address the 76th UN General Assembly in New York.
The information was requested by Addu Hithadhoo Medhu MP Ahmed Azaan from the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) when he previously worked as a journalist.
In his right to information (RTI) request, Azaan asked for the amount spent on tickets and the names of the members of the delegation as well as the total expenditure and receipts of the expenses. The previous government disclosed the requested information aside from the payment receipts.
At the time, the President’s Office declined to disclose the receipts on the grounds that it would violate the privacy of officials who participated in the trip and possibly pose a danger to the President’s life.
The High Court ordered the release of the receipts after redacting such information but the decision was appealed at the Supreme Court. Representing the state at the first hearing of the case on Monday, the Attorney General’s office defended the previous government’s stance.
The RTI law requires the disclosure of information at a state institution unless it was “under the ownership of a third party,” a state attorney argued. As such, the law does not obligate the disclosure of the receipts, the state attorney said.
The state attorney asked the Supreme Court to overturn the High Court’s order for the disclosure of originals that contain private information of third parties.
In a post on X, Azaan expressed displeasure with the AG office stance.
“Receipts from spending taxpayer money won’t be personal information. I hope that [Attorney General Ahmed] Usham will change this stand,” he wrote after tagging Usham.
A three-judge panel of the Supreme Court hearing the case includes Justices Aisha Shujoon Mohamed, Mahaz Ali Zahir and Ali Rasheed Hussain.
