The President's Office has said that they need more time to disclose financial details of President Mohamed Muizzu's overseas trips.
The government pledged to announce the expenses of the President's trips within 15 days of returning to the country.
Muizzu took the initiative to disclose the expenses of trips as a step to increase government transparency. He made the announcement on December 2, 2023 and said information will be provided by the President's Office.
But the President's Office has yet to disclose the expenses of the overseas trips, since Muizzu's visit to the UK in April. Adhadhu submitted a Right to Information (RTI) request on September 21.
The 21-day deadline for the President's Office to respond under the law ended today. But instead of submitting a response, the President's Office exercised its right to extend the deadline. According to the law, they get an additional 14 days to respond.
But the President's Office has yet to disclose the expenses of the last four overseas trips, including the visit to China. Details are pending for visits to the UK, Malaysia and Singapore.
It has been 165 days since Muizzu completed his trip to Malaysia, while 102 days have passed since the trip to Singapore ended, and 85 days have passed since his return from the UK.
Muizzu has made six trips this year. They included two trips to the UK and trips to Singapore, Malaysia, Estonia and China. His wife, Sajidha Mohamed, accompanied him on the Singapore trip.
Large government delegations accompany the President on every trip. They include ministers, government officials, MPs and officials from state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Some media personnel are also allowed to travel on state expenses during some trips.
