The Ministry of Defence has appealed a ruling from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) regarding the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) officers’ inability to operate the Dornier aircraft. This appeal aims to prevent the disclosure of details surrounding why trained MNDF personnel have not been given the opportunity to fly these aircraft, initially operated by Indian military pilots.
The Dornier aircraft, gifted to the Maldives by India, were manned by Indian military personnel until the current government transitioned to Indian civilian pilots, despite the presence of trained local officers. Among these officers are MNDF's First Lieutenant Ibrahim Shareef and Lieutenant Ahmed Ali, both of whom underwent training for the Dornier aircraft in 2021. Additionally, five other pilots were trained in military aviation, with four completing specific conversion courses for the Dornier.
In compliance with the Maldives’ Right to Information Act (RTI Act), journalist Nazim Hassan from the local media outlet Mihaaru requested clarification from the Defence Ministry. His inquiries included whether local pilots had operated the Dorniers at any point, reasons for their current inactivity in Dornier operations despite their training, and whether any of these pilots had left the MNDF, along with their reasons for departure.
Following four hearings on this matter, ICOM issued a ruling on September 9, demanding the Ministry provide the requested information within five days. However, the Defence Ministry has invoked Article 29 of the RTI Act, which allows for withholding information deemed related to national security. The Ministry has since appealed this ruling to the High Court.
The applicability of the cited Article hinges on whether the withheld information genuinely pertains to national security, raising questions about transparency and the operational capability of trained MNDF personnel.