Information Commissioner Warns President’s Office Over Refusal to Disclose Number of Political Appointees

The Information Commissioner has instructed the President’s Office to disclose, within 14 days, information regarding the number of political appointees made under President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration after the office failed to provide the requested information.

Information Commissioner Ahmed Ahid Rasheed issued the directive following a meeting held today with officials from the President’s Office after the office refused to release the information requested by the newspaper Adhadhu.

The requested information includes:

The total number of political appointees appointed by President Muizzu’s administration.

The number of political appointees who have been dismissed or resigned.

The salaries, allowances, and total expenditure incurred on those political appointees.

The Commissioner instructed the President’s Office to provide this information within 14 working days beginning tomorrow.

Under the Maldives’ Right to Information (RTI) Act, Adhadhu requested information relating to Article 115(l) of the Constitution, seeking details covering the period from 2023 to 2026, including:

The total number of political appointees.

The number of political appointees who have left office.

The total public expenditure on political appointments.

Although the statutory deadline expired, the President’s Office did not provide the requested information.

On March 8, the Information Commission granted the President’s Office an additional 10 days to respond. However, instead of answering the request, the office submitted a response that did not address the information sought.

In its reply, the President’s Office stated that it was currently reviewing the structure and levels of political appointments and that the requested information would be provided once the review was completed.

The Information Commissioner, however, concluded that this explanation was unrelated to the information requested and did not constitute a valid reason for withholding the information.

Under the Right to Information Act, the Information Commissioner has the authority to:

Order government institutions to disclose requested information.

Take enforcement action if government agencies fail to comply with such orders.

Refer matters to the Prosecutor General’s Office for legal proceedings where necessary.

The Commissioner’s latest directive requires the President’s Office to release the requested information within 14 days or face potential further action under the RTI Act.