The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) case filed with the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) is concerning an issue that arose before the current government took office, President’s Office said.

Information Commissioner Ahid Rasheed said yesterday that the President’s Office’s refusal to disclose information to ICOM would be officially investigated.

PG confirmed that the case filed by ICOM has been sent to the police for investigation, although the specific nature of the case was not disclosed. The prosecution will decide whether to appeal the case based on the findings of the investigation.

President’s Office Spokesperson Heena Waleed said that the Information Commissioner’s request to the PG to file criminal charges against the President’s Office under the Right to Information Act for not disclosing information is related to the previous government.

The case involves clarifying information about the 2022 Covid-19 vaccine procurement, which was not provided at that time, Heena said.

According to the Right to Information (RTI) Act, if 45 days pass without an appeal against an Information Commissioner’s decision or the decision has not been implemented, a non-compliance case can be sought through the Prosecutor General’s Office to the court.

The number of RTI applications has observed an increase, with the President’s Office receiving the highest number of requests for information. There have been many complaints about the President’s Office not providing information and having no response to the applications as well.