President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has today established a special presidential commission to investigate the Maldives' handling of International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) Case No. 28, concerning the maritime boundary dispute between the Maldives and Mauritius.
'The Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate the Actions of the Maldives in ITLOS Case Number 28' was established under Presidential Degree in accordance with Article 115(o) of the Constitution, a statement on the President's Office website reads.
President Muizzu had previously announced plans to form the commission during his Presidential Address in parliament on February 5 this year.
According to the President's Office, the commission was formed following what they termed as significant and irrecoverable losses sustained by the Maldives in the case initiated by Mauritius regarding the delimitation of the maritime boundary and continental shelf between the Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago.
The President's Office stated that reports by international experts appointed to review the case concluded that a substantial area of maritime territory had been lost as a result of actions taken by the Maldives, resulting in irreparable losses to fisheries, marine resources and seabed assets.
The seven-member commission is chaired by Ahmed Shakir (ODRDD). Other members are Abdul Azeez Yoosuf, Dr. Aminath Shafiya Adam, Dr. Abdul Muhsin Mohamed, retired Deputy Commissioner of Police Mohamed Sadiq, Ahmed Ali Maniku and Fathimath Minhath Izzath.
Under the decree, the commission has been tasked with investigating the actions of state employees, advisers and officials involved in the case before and during the proceedings, and in matters related to the Maldives' response to the dispute. It will also determine whether any legal negligence occurred, examine how case documents were preserved, recommend measures against parties found accountable, and propose reforms aimed at preventing similar situations arising in the future.
The commission will remain operational until the President declares its mandate complete.
The maritime boundary case was brought before a special chamber of ITLOS after Mauritius and Maldives agreed in 2019 to submit their dispute over maritime delimitation to the tribunal.
In April 2023, the tribunal delivered its final judgement, delimiting the maritime boundary between the two countries, awarding 47,232 sqkm of the overlapping area to the Maldives and 45,331 sqkm to Mauritius.
During his Presidential Address in February, President Muizzu also announced that the government had withdrawn a letter sent by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to the Prime Minister of Mauritius regarding the dispute and said legal steps were being taken to recover what the government maintains is maritime territory lost by the Maldives.
The dispute later escalated into a diplomatic row between the two countries, and in February 2026, Mauritius officially suspended diplomatic relations with the Maldives.
President Muizzu withdrew the previous administration's position on the issue, and declared that the maritime area relinquished under the earlier position would be included within the Maldives' Special Economic Zone.
