President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has extended the deadline by which the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) must conclude its report into February’s transfer of power to August 30, 2012.
The deadline to submit the report of the CNI – which was established, and later reconstituted to investigate events during and leading up to the controversial transfer of power on February 7 – had been initially been set for July 31.
However, the President’s Office confirmed yesterday that Dr Waheed had issued a decree approving the extension of the report’s deadline. Once complete, the findings are to be submitted to President Waheed, Parliamentary Speaker Abdulla Shahid and the prosecutor general and attorney general.
Earlier this month, CNI Co-Chair – retired Singaporean Judge G P Selvam – said a deadline extension was required in order to conclude the report due to the hundreds of people wishing to provide information.
The extension was granted the same day that President Waheed gave further information to the CNI regarding his own views on what transpired during the transfer of power, according to local media. The president had previously given information to the CNI before it began conducting its investigation under a new composition.