The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) has ordered the President’s Office to disclose details regarding political appointees within 14 days, starting tomorrow.
The order mandates the release of the total number of political staff appointed, dismissed, or resigned since the current administration took office, as well as the total expenditure on their salaries and allowances.
The order follows a Right to Information (RTI) request filed by Adhadhu. The request sought the number of individuals appointed to political positions by President Mohamed Muizzu under Article 115(l) of the Constitution for the period 2023 to 2026, the number of departures during this timeframe, and the total cost of their remuneration.
Information Commissioner Ahmer Ahid Rasheed directed the President’s Office to provide the information within 14 working days, noting that the office had failed to meet the initial legal deadlines for the request.
"The institution has failed to provide a valid reason for withholding the requested information. Therefore, I determine that the institution must release the information to the extent requested, and I hereby conclude this case," Commissioner Ahid stated.
"The request covers information for the years 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. I have ordered the full disclosure of this data to the applicant within 14 working days and closed the matter."
Commissioner Ahid further warned that if the President’s Office fails to comply with the order within the 14-day window, the matter will be referred to the Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office for further action.
Following the initial failure to respond, ICOM had previously granted the President’s Office a 10-day extension on March 8 to provide the data. However, the office failed to comply and, shortly before today’s hearing, issued a response that was deemed irrelevant to the original request.
In its response to Adhadhu, the President’s Office claimed that a performance review of political staff is currently underway and that the information would be released once the review is complete. The Information Commissioner noted that this justification bore no relevance to the data requested.
The government has faced mounting criticism from the opposition and the public over its reluctance to disclose the number of political appointees. While various ministries previously stated that such data could only be released by the President’s Office, the executive has yet to provide clear figures.
Prior to taking office and during the transitional period, the administration repeatedly pledged that the number of political appointees would not exceed 700.
However, Government Spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu) has since defended the administration’s position, suggesting that the figure was not a formal presidential pledge. Recently, as part of broader austerity measures, the government announced plans to dismiss more than 200 political employees.
