Information Commissioner Ahmed Ahid has today ordered that the details of the 248 political appointees who the government say have been dismissed in a bid to cut State expenditures be disclosed within five days.
Information Commissioner Ahmed Ahid has today ordered that the details of the 248 political appointees who the government say have been dismissed in a bid to cut State expenditures be disclosed within five days.
On October 15, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu announced that under the Economic Reform Agenda, 228 political appointees will be dismissed under efforts to bring down costs. When the deadline set for this was reached, the President's Office Spokesperson Heena Waleed announced in a post on X that 248 political appointees had been dismissed.
However, it was not revealed who these 248 appointees were, or which ministries they were dismissed from. Mihaaru submitted a Right to Information request seeking this information. The President's Office refused to divulge the details, citing that it falls under personal information.
This was then reviewed by the Information Commissioner's Office, with the Commissioner reaching a decision after today's hearing in the case.
In his decision, the Commissioner said that the permanent addresses of the dismissed appointees are personal information and this need not be disclosed. However, as political appointees are appointed by the President under the Constitution, this information cannot be held confidential.
He said that the names of the appointees, their designations, salaries and dates of dismissal must be disclosed. The Commissioner ordered the President's Office to disclose this information within a period of five official working days.
If desired, the President's Office has a window of thirty days within which they can appeal the decision at the High Court.
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