The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) issued a warning yesterday that it may be forced to refer the President’s Office to the Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office over its persistent failure to respond to Right to Information (RTI) requests submitted by Adhadhu.
During a hearing held yesterday regarding four RTI requests filed by Adhadhu to which the President’s Office had failed to respond, the office was ordered to provide answers for three of those requests within 14 working days, effective from today.
Information Commissioner Ahid Rasheed noted that the President’s Office has consistently failed to respond to Adhadhu’s RTI requests even after the statutory deadlines had passed. He warned that if the office fails to comply within the newly granted 14-day window, the matters will be escalated to the PG Office for further action.
"We are granting a 14-day period starting Monday. I have noted that the institution frequently fails to respond even after deadlines have expired. Therefore, if answers are not provided within this timeframe, we will have to escalate this to the next authority," Commissioner Ahid said.
"Since the review of these cases is complete, if the answers are not provided within this period, I will have to submit these cases to the Prosecutor General’s Office as prescribed by law. Therefore, please be mindful of this and ensure the responses are provided within the deadline."
The RTI requests that the President’s Office failed to answer, and for which ICOM has now mandated a 14-day deadline, include details regarding political appointees, details of President Mohamed Muizzu’s unofficial trips, and details of both official and unofficial trips taken by First Lady Sajidha Mohamed.
Additionally, the requests seek information on projects awarded and inaugurated during Muizzu’s trips to various islands, a list of pledges made, and details of the pledges that have been fully fulfilled to date.
