Heena Waleed, Chief Spokesperson at the President's Office, clarified a case involving the Prosecutor General’s Office and non-compliance with Right to Information (RTI) requests. The case, originally filed in 2022, pertains to the previous administration's failure to disclose information on Covid-19 vaccines.
Heena emphasized that the issue is unrelated to the current administration, which remains committed to transparency and adherence to RTI laws. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) had filed a case against the previous government, not the current administration.
Heena’s comments come as the prosecutor's office files a case against the President's Office for non-compliance with an Information Commissioner decision. She stated that the Information Commissioner's request to the Prosecutor General to file criminal charges under the RTI Act was submitted in 2022, long before the current government took office. She reiterated that it is not the policy of the current government to withhold information from the public.
The Prosecutor's Office stated that criminal charges must be adequately investigated. Thus, the case filed by the ICOM office has been sent back to the prosecutor's office with the findings of the investigation in accordance with the law. A decision on whether to prosecute will be made after the police investigation, with the prosecutor's office closely monitoring the progress.
Under the Right to Information Act, if an Information Commissioner decision is not appealed and 45 days pass without compliance, the case can be referred to the Prosecutor General's Office. The ICOM office sued the President's Office for failing to provide information on vaccines within the stipulated time.
Heena emphasized that the issue is unrelated to the current administration, which remains committed to transparency and adherence to RTI laws. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) had filed a case against the previous government, not the current administration.
The case filed in Prosecutor General’s Office over non-compliance to Right to Information requests has no bearing to this administration. This case was originally filed in 2022, regarding disclosure on covid vaccines and the failure of then-administration to comply with the…
— Heena Waleed (@MvSpokesperson) July 23, 2024
Heena’s comments come as the prosecutor's office files a case against the President's Office for non-compliance with an Information Commissioner decision. She stated that the Information Commissioner's request to the Prosecutor General to file criminal charges under the RTI Act was submitted in 2022, long before the current government took office. She reiterated that it is not the policy of the current government to withhold information from the public.
The Prosecutor's Office stated that criminal charges must be adequately investigated. Thus, the case filed by the ICOM office has been sent back to the prosecutor's office with the findings of the investigation in accordance with the law. A decision on whether to prosecute will be made after the police investigation, with the prosecutor's office closely monitoring the progress.
Under the Right to Information Act, if an Information Commissioner decision is not appealed and 45 days pass without compliance, the case can be referred to the Prosecutor General's Office. The ICOM office sued the President's Office for failing to provide information on vaccines within the stipulated time.
