Parliament denies information exchange on Chagos policy change
The Maldives had previously openly denied the claim that Chagos was part of Mauritius and had been voting against it at the United Nations.
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By
Mohamed Muzayyin Nazim
Parliament on Wednesday denied Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath's comments that the change in stance to recognise Mauritian sovereignty over the islands of Chagos, saying that no information was shared by the government before President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih informed his decision via a letter to Mauritian premier.
At a press conference held at the President's Office on Tuesday night, Riffath said that an information paper was sent to the parliament on 17 October, regarding this dispute that has caught the nation by the collar.
"Along with the document sent to the parliament, we also submitted the Mauritian appeal [to parliament], the response given us by Mauritius, our responses and copies of the charts submitted in relation to the matter and such other documents," Riffath said when asked about the contents of the information that was submitted to the pariament.
The parliament issued a statement in response to Riffath's remarks on Wednesday.
"We have not yet received to the parliament any information of the reasons behind the Maldives stance change at the United Nations or the letter that the President has sent to the Prime Minister of Mauritius" the statement, which was also retweeted by Speaker Mohamed Nasheed, read.
The parliament statement further said:
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In February, a parliamentary standing committee sent two letters to the Attorney General’s office to meet relevant officials to study the matter following a letter sent by a private party to the parliament.
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In response to the two letters, the AG Office sent two letters to parliament containing information on Mauritius' case with the international tribunal regarding the disputed area between the Maldives and Chagos.
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The AG's office had directed that the contents of the documents should be kept confidential till open hearings are held in the tribunal; such a disclosure would adversely affect the ongoing case.
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After the letter, no further information regarding the case was shared with parliament.
"Therefore, it is advised that responsible persons should refrain from spreading information in such a manner as to misrepresent the procedures required for submission of the constitution of the country, relevant laws and rules of parliament, as well as procedures for obtaining the approval of parliament or passing a matter in parliament," the statement concluded.
The Maldives had previously openly denied the claim that Chagos was part of Mauritius and had been voting against it at the United Nations.
However, Riffath said in October that President Solih had written a letter to the Prime Minister of Mauritius in August stating that the Maldives would recognise Chagos as part of Mauritius.
