Finance Ministry requests further extension after failing to respond to inquiry for 10 months

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) on Monday held a hearing regarding a complaint filed by RaajjeTV against the Ministry of Finance for failing to respond to a Right to Information (RTI) request.

RaajjeTV was represented at the hearing by its Deputy CEO, Naazmee Saeed, and Head of Programs, Amir Saleem.

Opening Monday's hearing, Information Commissioner Ahid Rasheed stated that the Ministry finally provided a response on May 11, 2024, following a formal complaint lodged by RaajjeTV over the unanswered Right to Information (RTI) request. Ahid noted that the response was issued 321 days—or 10 months and 17 days—after the initial request was submitted.

The Ministry's Information Officer (IO) attributed the delay in responding to administrative challenges. According to the IO, the setback occurred because the Ministry underwent a change in personnel for the Information Officer position during the period the RTI request was submitted.

The Ministry's Information Officer acknowledged the delay in responding to the Right to Information (RTI) request and offered an apology. He stated that the matter only came to his attention after the case was officially registered and reached the hearing stage. He further noted that he had been appointed to the role of Information Officer only very recently.

Regarding the matter, Ahid stated that the regulations clearly outline the procedures to be followed if an Information Officer (IO) changes or is unavailable. He noted that the regulations mandate informing the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) and appointing a new IO within five days. Ahid further highlighted that the Ministry has acted in violation of that specific provision of the regulations.

Furthermore, both Ahid and RaajjeTV noted that the Ministry’s response did not address the specific inquiry submitted by the station. Instead, the Ministry provided the total expenditure paid to private businesses for the period from January to April 2024.

It was stated that 2.3 billion Maldivian Rufiyaa was paid during that period. The response further noted that the government is currently consulting with the Auditor General to resolve delays in payments for bills awaiting audit clearance. As this process is ongoing, additional details could not be provided at this time.

However, the question posed by RaajjeTV sought to clarify whether there are outstanding payments to private businesses that have remained unpaid for over a year, and if so, the total amount involved. This inquiry was submitted as a Right to Information (RTI) request on June 26, 2024.

When this was pointed out, the Ministry stated that they required more time to clarify the information. In a response provided to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICOM) ten months later, the Ministry claimed they could not determine the specific timeframe for RajjeTV's information request because the inquiry lacked a precise date. However, Ahid noted that this was not an acceptable justification.

RaajjeTV also highlighted that receiving responses months after submitting inquiries renders the information obsolete and undermines the right to information. During the hearing, RaajjeTV further stated that such delays create significant obstacles to the media's right to disseminate news and information to the public.

Taking into account the arguments presented by both parties, Ahid ordered that the information be provided during the first week of business following the Eid holidays.