RTI delays trigger 195 complaints against PO, ministries

A total of 195 complaints were filed last year against the President’s Office and government ministries for failing to respond to information requests within the legally mandated deadline, according to new statistics released by the Information Commissioner’s Office, Maldives (ICOM).

The figures, published on Sunday, show cases submitted as either complaints, for no response by the deadline, or appeals, filed when the information seeker is dissatisfied with the response provided.

Ministries accounted for the highest number of deadline‑related complaints, with 142 cases filed last year. The President’s Office received 53 complaints of the same nature. Agencies under ministries submitted an additional 20 complaints for failing to provide information on time.

In terms of appeals, the ICOM recorded 11 cases involving dissatisfaction with responses from the President’s Office, and 42 cases involving ministries and institutions under them.

Let's take a look back at 2025, starting with the cases submitted to ICO involving Executive Institutions pic.twitter.com/rovwo4ZEl2

— Information Commissioner's Office - Maldives (@ICOMaldives) February 8, 2026

The data comes amid ongoing public and media concerns over delayed or incomplete responses to requests made under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

In his Presidential Statement on Thursday, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu highlighted the administration’s efforts to improve information access. He said ministers gave interviews or shared information with the media 424 times last year, while ministry officials engaged with the public through the media 493 times.

He added that out of 1,341 RTI requests submitted to the President’s Office and ministries in 2025, 1,251 had been answered, noting that replies to the remaining requests were in progress due to the need for additional information gathering.