The government has now decided to disclose why MNDF officers trained to operate Dorniers are not being given the opportunity to fly the aircrafts, withdrawing the appeal case filed at the High Court by the Defence Ministry.
Government of Maldives has now decided to disclose why Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) officers trained to operate Dorniers are not being given the opportunity to fly the aircrafts, withdrawing the appeal case filed at the High Court by the Ministry of Defence against the order from the Information Commissioner's Office to do so.
The Dornier aircraft was earlier operated by Indian military personnel, who have since been replaced by civilian experts from India. However, in 2021, two MNDF officers were trained to pilot the craft: First Lieutenant Ibrahim Shareef and Lieutenant Ahmed Ali.
After this, five additional officers were trained to operate military aircraft, and four officers completed the Dornier conversion course, MNDF has earlier said.
Under the Right to Information Act, Mihaaru News journalist Nazim Hassan requested the Defence Ministry to clarify whether they operated the Dorniers at any point. He also sought details on why local pilots are not active in Dornier operations despite being trained, and whether any of the trained pilots had left MNDF, and if so, reasons for their leaving.
The Information Commissioner then ordered MNDF to reveal this information, following which the Ministry appealed the decision at the High Court. However, Mihaaru News reports that President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has now directed that the case be withdrawn.
Previously, the Defence Ministry cited Article 29 of the RTI Act, which grants the Ministry the right to withhold information related to national security.
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