The composition of the presidential commission, established by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to investigate how the Maldives acted in pursuing the case submitted by Mauritius to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) regarding the overlapping maritime boundary between Mauritius and the Maldives, was changed today.

Among the seven members included in the commission established on November 1, 'Kashima' Ahmed Shakir, who was then appointed as the chairman of the commission, is no longer a part of the commission. Instead, Dr. Abdul Muhsin Mohamed, who was included when the commission was initially formed, has been appointed as the chairman.

Aishath Fazna Ahmed, the former Assistant Prosecutor General, has now been appointed as an additional member.

With this change, the members currently serving on the commission are:

The President has tasked the commission with investigating the conduct of state employees, advisers, parties acting on behalf of the state and those exercising discretionary powers in relation to the ITLOS case.

The investigation will cover the period leading up to the submission of the case, how the Maldives handled and responded to the proceedings, and all related matters.

The commission will also examine whether any of the parties involved were negligent and identify appropriate measures against those found accountable.

It will review how documents relating to the case were archived at the time and recommend reforms to improve procedures and prevent similar incidents in the future, based on the findings of its investigation.

The President's Office stated that the commission will remain active until the President determines that its tasks have been completed.

The President had announced that this commission would be established in the presidential address delivered at the Parliament in February of this year.

Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih changed his position on recognizing the Chagos Islands as part of Mauritius in 2021, after previously refusing to accept the claim, and sent a letter to the Mauritian prime minister.

Solih sent the letter after Mauritius had referred its maritime boundary dispute with the Maldives to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), and after the tribunal had determined that it could hear the case.

territory was divided between the two countries.

Maldives had previously argued that ITLOS could not hear the maritime boundary dispute while sovereignty over the Chagos Islands remained unresolved.

However, relying on an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which concluded that sovereignty over the Chagos Islands rests with Mauritius, ITLOS proceeded with the case and delimited the maritime boundary between the two countries.

Under the ruling, the disputed maritime area, which the Maldives had previously regarded as part of its territory, was divided between the Maldives and Mauritius.