The Attorney General's (AG) Office has refused to provide information on the cost for a ceremony held at the Barcelona Nasandhura to celebrate its 75th anniversary.
Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s Legal Director Ahmed Mauroof submitted a Right to Information (RTI) request for the details.
In response, the AG Office said it cannot provide the details because the records are not kept by the institution.
But the Public Finance Rules state that expenditure incurred must be recorded for the acquisition of goods or services.
The AG Office is a state institution with an allocated budget and obligated to spend within budget codes. It is unclear why the records are not maintained by the office.
Mauroof requested the total cost of the ceremony, rent for the venue, cost for preparing the venue, cost of managing the event, catering cost and cost for gifts and prizes.
But the AG Office did not provide any of these details. In its response, the AG Office said it had not yet received the invoices and that it does not maintain these records.
"Since the requested information is not maintained by this office, it cannot be provided at this time," the response stated.
Mauroof had decided to submit for a review of this response. He said the AG Office must have the agreed prices even if it has not yet received the invoices.
The regime of President Mohamed Muizzu does not comply with the RTI Act and works to withhold information through legal loopholes.
