President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has appointed Dr Abdul Muhsin Mohamed as the new chairperson of the commission investigating the previous administration’s handling of the Maldives-Mauritius maritime boundary dispute, replacing Ahmed Shakir just over a week after the commission was established.
The change was made through Presidential Decree No. 18/2026, published in the Government Gazette yesterday. The decree amends and supersedes Decree No. 17/2026, which established the commission on 1 November.
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The latest decree also removes Abdul Azeez Yoosuf from the commission, with Captain Ahmed Zubair and Aishath Fazna Ahmed appointed as members in the revised seven-member panel.
The other members retained are Dr Aminath Shaafiya Adam, retired Deputy Commissioner of Police Mohamed Sodiq, Ahmed Ali Manik and Fathimath Minhath Izzath.
The commission was established to investigate the Maldives’ handling of ITLOS Case No. 28, which determined the maritime boundary between the Maldives and Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Its mandate includes examining the actions of state officials and advisers involved in the proceedings, assessing whether legal negligence occurred, reviewing the handling and preservation of case documents, and recommending measures against those found accountable.
The inquiry follows the government’s review of the previous administration’s position in the dispute. The President’s Office has said international legal experts found that decisions taken by the Maldives during the proceedings contributed to the loss of a substantial area of maritime territory and affected the country’s fisheries and seabed resources.
The dispute became a major political issue after former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih sent a letter to Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth in August 2022, changing the Maldives’ position on Mauritius’ sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago.
ITLOS delivered its ruling on the maritime boundary in April 2023, allocating 47,232 square kilometres to the Maldives and 45,331 square kilometres to Mauritius.
Muizzu had announced plans to establish an inquiry into the case in his Presidential Address in February this year. The commission will remain in operation until the President determines that its work has been completed.
