Minister Shaheem’s response: Islamic Ministry is a place that prioritizes disclosing information

Minister Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed responded today after the Ministry of Islamic Affairs was fined for failing to attend a meeting regarding a case filed to obtain information.

Following the Ministry's absence from the hearing concerning the information request, Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) fined the Ministry MVR 700 today.

Regarding the matter, the Minister stated that the Ministry of Islamic Affairs is an institution that gives great priority to disclosing information and respects all laws enacted in relation to that.

"Up until now, the Ministry has been responding to all requests submitted to it in accordance with the law. It is a Ministry that maintains a very close relationship with the media. The Ministry will continue to remain that way," the Minister said.

Shaheem stated that the Ministry will disclose the details of the requests submitted to the Ministry over the past two years and the number of responses provided tomorrow.

ICOM fined the Ministry of Islamic Affairs today because the Ministry failed to provide information for two separate requests and did not participate in the meeting scheduled to look into those complaints.

The office stated that this was an obstruction to the Information Commissioner in fulfilling his legal duties. Some other state institutions have also been fined previously for failing to attend such meetings.