Former Information Commissioner Abdul Azeez Jamaal Abu-Bakur has been nominated by President Mohamed Muizzu to serve as Information Commissioner, with the current commissioner’s five-year term set to expire next month.
President Muizzu submitted Abdul Azeez’s name to Parliament today, seeking approval for his appointment. The letter was announced during today’s sitting and subsequently referred to the Independent Institutions Committee for consideration.
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The number of nominees considered for the position was not disclosed when Abdul Azeez’s name was submitted to Parliament.
Abdul Azeez, who currently serves as a State Minister at the Ministry of Heritage, is the first Information Commissioner appointed under the Right to Information Act, during the regime of President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom. He served as Information Commissioner until his term ended in July 2019. He previously served as a Member of Parliament for the Maavah constituency. Abdul Azeez has also worked at the Dhivehi Language Academy and has authored several books on the Dhivehi language.
The current Information Commissioner, Ahmed Ahid Rasheed, was appointed to the position on 6 September 2021.
The Office of the Information Commissioner was established on 13 July 2014 under the RTI Act to oversee the implementation of the right to access information held by public authorities.
