DDCom’s standing orders make confidentiality mandatory

Disappearances and Deaths Commission’s standing orders – which make it mandatory for commissioners to maintain confidentiality of information exchanged during meetings and as well as investigative findings – has taken effect.

DDCom’s standing orders were published on the government gazette last Monday.

The standing orders restrict all officials present during DDCom’s meetings from disclosing any of the information discussed unless decided otherwise by the commission.

It also makes it the commissioners’ responsibility to maintain the confidentiality of all investigative findings which aren’t classified as confidential.

Confidentiality is also stressed on the code of ethics of the commissioners. It restricts commissioners from misuse of information obtained due to their position at the commission, and misuse of commissioners’ authority for illicit benefit to themselves or a third party.

The standing orders bars commissioners from using information collected by DDCom other than for the execution of their official duty.

The stress on confidentiality comes at the heels of public criticism over DDCom’s decision to share the draft report on its investigation into the 2014 abduction and murder of journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla to Mohamed Nasheed, speaker of Parliament and former Maldivian president.

Nasheed had shared the draft report with the leaders of parliamentary groups – a move criticized for the high probability of confidential information on the report being leaked – possibly undermining the commission’s investigation into the high-profile case.

Addressing the decision at a press conference earlier this September, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said that the DDCom’s decision to share the draft report with the speaker had not been at his instructions. He said that he did not instruct the DDCom to share the report with any other party.

The President said that certain information on the report need to be kept confidential, and that a leak could undermine the investigation.