President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has established a seven-member commission to investigate the Maldives’ handling of its maritime boundary dispute with Mauritius, including whether negligence by state officials contributed to what the government maintains was a significant loss of maritime territory.
The commission will examine decisions made by government officials, advisers and other individuals involved in the case brought before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), which delivered its ruling in April 2023.
According to the President’s Office, the inquiry follows findings by international experts commissioned to review the case, who reportedly concluded that decisions taken during the proceedings had resulted in substantial and irreversible losses to the Maldives.
The government maintains that the outcome affected the country’s interests in fisheries, marine resources and seabed assets in waters between the Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago.
The commission, formally named the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate the Actions of the Maldives in ITLOS Case Number 28, was established through a presidential decree under Article 115(o) of the Constitution.
It will be chaired by Ahmed Shakir (ODRDD), with Abdul Azeez Yoosuf, Dr Aminath Shafiya Adam, Dr Abdul Muhsin Mohamed, retired Deputy Commissioner of Police Mohamed Sadiq, Ahmed Ali Maniku and Fathimath Minhath Izzath serving as members.
The commission has been tasked with reviewing the conduct of state employees and advisers before and during the tribunal proceedings, as well as decisions made in responding to the maritime dispute.
Its mandate includes determining whether legal negligence occurred, examining the handling and preservation of documents related to the case, and identifying any individuals whose actions may warrant further measures.
The commission will also recommend institutional and procedural reforms intended to prevent similar disputes over the handling of major international legal cases.
It will remain in operation until the President formally declares that its work has been completed.
Muizzu had announced plans to establish the inquiry during his Presidential Address to Parliament on 5 February, when he also outlined steps his administration intended to take to challenge the previous government’s position on the maritime boundary.
The dispute dates back to disagreements over the delimitation of maritime areas between the Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago, which Mauritius claims as part of its territory.
In 2019, the Maldives and Mauritius agreed to submit their maritime boundary dispute to a special chamber of ITLOS for adjudication.
The tribunal delivered its judgment in April 2023, establishing a maritime boundary between the two countries in the disputed area.
Under the ruling, the Maldives received 47,232 square kilometres of the overlapping maritime area, while 45,331 square kilometres were allocated to Mauritius.
Although the Maldives received a slightly larger portion of the area addressed in the judgment, the Muizzu administration has argued that the country’s position during the proceedings resulted in the loss of maritime territory it should have retained.
The administration has also criticised correspondence sent by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to the Mauritian Prime Minister during the previous government’s tenure.
During his February address, Muizzu announced that his administration had withdrawn the earlier letter and was pursuing legal measures aimed at recovering the maritime area it considers to have been lost.
He also declared that the area claimed by the Maldives would be included within the country’s Special Economic Zone, rejecting the position taken by the previous administration.
The dispute has since developed into a wider diplomatic disagreement between the two countries.
In February 2026, Mauritius suspended diplomatic relations with the Maldives amid tensions over the maritime boundary and the government’s rejection of the earlier position.
The establishment of the commission marks a further step in the Muizzu administration’s efforts to review the decisions surrounding the ITLOS proceedings and establish accountability for the handling of the case.
Its findings could also inform the government’s future approach to maritime boundary disputes and the management of international legal proceedings involving Maldivian territory.
