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15 Dec 2023
Exterior view of the Parliament of Malta

The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life has proposed that he should have the right to publish decisions not to investigate complaints. Currently, when the Commissioner investigates a complaint his case report on the investigation is normally published. But if the Commissioner decides that the complaint does not warrant investigation, he cannot publish his decision…

22 Nov 2023

The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life concluded yesterday that Parliamentary Secretary Chris Bonett did not commit a breach of ethics when he requested adjacent seats for himself and his family on an Air Malta flight to London. The Standards Commissioner came to this conclusion after considering allegations that Dr Bonett benefited from favourable treatment…

27 Oct 2023

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published a 224-page report setting out recommendations to improve public integrity in Malta. The report is the final outcome of a two-year project entitled “Improving the Integrity and Transparency Framework in Malta”, which was being conducted by the OECD at the request of the Commissioner for…

27 Oct 2023

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has issued a report on the system by which ministers and other MPs declare their assets every year. The report is one of the final outputs of a two-year project entitled “Improving the Integrity and Transparency Framework in Malta”, which was being conducted by the OECD at…

15 Sep 2023

The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life has concluded that ministers or parliamentary secretaries who used an official ministry activity for personal self-promotion would be in breach of ethics. The Standards Commissioner came to this conclusion after considering a complaint alleging that Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said had invited employees of her ministry to a…

07 Aug 2023

The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life has stated that it would be a breach of ethics if a member of parliament failed to declare his or her income for tax purposes. The Standards Commissioner came to this conclusion after considering three complaints against former MP Dr Jason Azzopardi for not submitting his tax returns…

04 Aug 2023

Chief Justice Emeritus Joseph Azzopardi, Commissioner for Standards in Public Life, is recommending that the guidelines on government advertising issued by his office two years ago should be incorporated into law. The history these guidelines goes back to March 2021 when the previous Commissioner, Dr George Hyzler, referred a case involving an advertisement issued by…

03 Aug 2023

Parliament’s Standing Committee on Standards in Public Life has authorised the publication of a report by the Commissioner for Standards about false statements allegedly made by a minister to the media. The case goes back to April 2020, when a journalist asked the Hon. Dr Michael Farrugia, then Minister for Home Affairs, about a meeting…

14 Apr 2023

The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life has concluded that a government-sponsored post on Facebook represents a breach of ethics because it featured a minister. The sponsored post in question appeared on 5 October 2022 in the official Facebook page of the Ministry for Finance and Employment. It consisted of a graphic featuring a photograph…

16 Feb 2023

The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life features in a document entitled Handbook of Good Practices in the Fight Against Corruption, which has been published by the European Commission. The handbook covers measures taken by European Union member states to curb corruption, improve transparency, avoid conflicts of interest, or strengthen ethical standards in public life….