Information Commissioner says President’s Office is not responding to RTI requests within legal deadlines

Information Commissioner Ahmed Ahid Rasheed has said the President’s Office is not responding to Right to Information (RTI) requests within the timeframe required by law.

Speaking at a public hearing on Wednesday, the Commissioner noted that the President’s Office had failed to reply to an RTI application within the statutory deadline and had also extended the response period unlawfully. He said the institution had been instructed to address these issues and improve compliance.

Under the Right to Information Act, public authorities must respond to RTI requests within 21 working days of submission. The initial response must state whether the requested information will be provided.

If the request involves a large volume of information, the deadline may be extended by an additional 14 days, but only after issuing a written notice explaining the reason for the extension.

For requests involving matters that may endanger a person’s life or liberty, the law requires a response within 48 hours.

If a public body decides not to disclose information, it must provide the applicant with written reasons and outline the appeal process. Applicants who do not receive a response within the legal timeframe, or who are dissatisfied with the response, may file a complaint with the institution’s Information Review Committee within 30 days. If unsatisfied with that decision, they may escalate the case to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM).

According to ICOM, 195 complaints were filed last year over failures by the President’s Office and ministries to respond to RTI requests within the deadline. Ministries accounted for 142 of these cases, while the President’s Office received 53 complaints. 

In his Presidential Statement last month, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu said 1,341 RTI requests were submitted to the President’s Office and ministries last year, of which 1,251 had been answered. He said replies to the remaining requests were still being prepared due to the need for additional information gathering.