President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has established a Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate the Maldives’ actions in International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) Case Number 28 concerning the maritime boundary with Mauritius.
The commission was created by Presidential Decree No. 2026/17 under Article 115(o) of the Constitution. The President had announced the plan during his Presidential Address on 5 February this year.
According to the President’s Office, the inquiry follows reports by international experts that the Maldives sustained significant and irrecoverable losses of maritime territory in the case titled “Dispute concerning delimitation of the maritime boundary between Mauritius and Maldives in the Indian Ocean.” The experts concluded that actions taken by the Maldives caused irreparable damage to the nation’s fisheries, marine wealth and seabed resources.
The seven members appointed are Uz Ahmed Shakir (ODRDD) as President of the Commission, Mr Abdul Azeez Yoosuf, Dr Aminath Shafiya Adam, Dr Abdul Muhsin Mohamed, retired Deputy Commissioner of Police Mohamed Sadiq, Mr Ahmed Ali Maniku and Uza Fathimath Minhath Izzath.
The commission is tasked with investigating the actions of state employees, advisors and officials involved up to the submission of the case, during the proceedings and in the Maldives’ response. It will determine whether there was legal negligence, examine how case documents were maintained, identify accountable parties and propose measures to prevent recurrence.
The commission will remain operational until the President declares its mandate completed.
The ITLOS special chamber delivered its judgment on 28 April 2023, allocating approximately 47,232 square kilometres of the overlapping claim area to the Maldives and 45,331 square kilometres to Mauritius out of a total of about 92,563 square kilometres.
The establishment of the commission fulfils a commitment made after the government withdrew a 2022 letter sent by the previous administration recognising Mauritius’ position on the Chagos Archipelago.
