AG's stand is to publicize agreements as far as possible

Attorney General (AG) Ahmed Usham has said that his stand is to publicize agreements entered into by the government to the greatest extent possible.

Mihaaru News posed a question to the AG regarding failure to receive details despite a Right to Information appeal submitted seeking details of the agreements entered into by the government with India regarding the removal of their military personnel stationed in Maldives.

The response they had received had been that the information was being 'declassified' by the AG office and other relevant authorities, and would be publicized once completed.

The AG responded to the query by stating that when it comes to agreements between two countries, in some instances, the law also states that it is acceptable to not publicize details where doing so may present risks to the country's independence and sovereignty.

"As some parts of the agreement cannot be publicized as it is, I believe it must be done even through redacting the sensitive information," the AG said.

Usham reasserted that this administration had come into office on the promise of conducting transparent governance actions, and insisted that he had not advised for the agreement to be held confidential. He stated that the agreements will be shared to the greatest possible extent.