Other documents

Other documents issued by the Standards Commissioner

Documents issued by the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life, other than case reports and annual reports, can be downloaded from this page.

Letter to the Speaker – 5 December 2023

The Commissioner wrote to the Speaker once again seeking authorisation from the Standards Committee to publish decisions not to investigate complaints. This letter follows up the Commissioner’s letter of 15 June 2023 (see below).

Date issued: 5 December 2023 | Language: Maltese | Download document

Letter to the Prime Minister – 3 November 2023

Under cover of this letter the Commissioner forwarded to the Prime Minister a report prepared by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development on the declaration of assets and interests by ministers and members of Parliament. The report makes proposals for the reform of the declaration system. In his letter the Commissioner formally recommends under article 13(1)(g) of the Standards in Public Life Act that the government should implement the proposals in the report. See this page for more information about the report.

Date issued: 3 November 2023 | Language: English | Download document

Recommendation to the Speaker – 18 July 2023

The Commissioner wrote to the Speaker to formally recommend, in terms of article 13(1)(g) of the Standards in Public Life Act, that the guidelines on advertising issued by the previous Commissioner in August 2021 should be incorporated in the code of ethics for ministers. This would give the guidelines a legal basis and eliminate any doubts about their validity.

Date issued: 18 July 2023 | Language: Maltese | Download document

Letter to the Speaker – 15 June 2023

The Commissioner wrote to the Speaker seeking authorisation from the Standards Committee to publish decisions not to investigate complaints in situations where the Commissioner considers such publication to be justified. At present, when the Commissioner decides not to investigate a complaint he can send his decision to the complainant and the person who was the subject of the complaint, but he cannot publish the decision.

Date issued: 15 June 2023 | Language: Maltese | Download document

Review of campaign spending by general election candidates

This report is the outcome of a landscape review of campaign spending by candidates in the 2022 general election. The report looks at how candidates campaigned, how they reported campaign costs, and how campaign spending is regulated. The report finds that there is no effective control over spending by general election candidates, and it raises concerns about how this can affect standards in public life.

Date issued: 30 September 2022 | Language: English | Download document

Letter to the Prime Minister – 27 September 2022

Under cover of this letter the Commissioner forwarded to the Prime Minister a report prepared by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development proposing that the codes of ethics for ministers and members of Parliament should be revised and strengthened. The letter makes a formal recommendation under article 13(1)(g) of the Standards in Public Life Act for the revision of the codes as proposed in the report. See this page for more information about the report.

Date issued: 27 September 2022 | Language: English | Download document

Letter to the Prime Minister – 11 July 2022

Under cover of this letter, the Commissioner forwarded to the Prime Minister three reports prepared by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development concerning the operations of the Commissioner’s office, the Standards in Public Life Act, and the regulation of lobbying in Malta. The letter states that the first report is being forwarded for information purposes only, while the second and third reports are being forwarded with a view to their implementation. The letter makes a formal recommendation for the implementation of the report on lobbying, since article 13(1)(f) of the Act empowers the Commissioner to make recommendations on this matter. See this page for more information on the reports.

Date issued: 11 July 2022 | Language: English | Download document

Guidelines on government advertising and promotional material

This document sets out guidelines that are meant to ensure that ministers do not spend public funds on personal or political publicity. The Commissioner issued the guidelines with the intention of referring to them in cases involving government advertising and promotional material. However, on 28 June 2023 the Speaker decided during a meeting of Parliament’s Standards Committee that cases should not be concluded on the basis of the guidelines because they lacked the force of law. The Commissioner reacted by means of a letter to the Speaker dated 18 July 2023 (see above).

Date issued: 2 August 2021 | Language: English | Download document

Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives – 6 May 2021

In this letter the Commissioner addresses further allegations concerning him and his office that were made by the Hon Glenn Bedingfield MP during a speech in Parliament on 3 May 2021.

Date issued: 6 May 2021 | Language: Maltese | Download document

Guidance note on persons of trust

In Malta the term “person of trust” is commonly understood to mean political appointees. But the term is defined more narrowly in the Standards in Public Life Act. This note is intended to help the reader understand who are persons of trust in Maltese public administration, in terms of both the generally accepted meaning and the definition in the Act.

Updated: 28 April 2021 | Language: English and Maltese | Download document in English | Download document in Maltese

Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives – 21 April 2021

In this letter the Commissioner addresses allegations concerning him and his office that were made by the Hon Glenn Bedingfield MP during a speech in Parliament on 19 April 2021.

Date issued: 21 April 2021 | Language: Maltese | Download document

Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives – 9 April 2021

In this letter the Commissioner expresses concerns about delays on the part of the Standards Committee in publishing case reports that are referred to it. The Commissioner also takes the view that in all cases the publication of case reports should be his responsibility.

Date issued: 9 April 2021 | Language: English | Download document

Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives – 4 March 2021

This letter sets out the Commissioner’s views on a ruling issued by the Speaker on 2 March 2021 concerning the Commissioner’s power to investigate former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in connection with the detention of journalists at the Auberge de Castille in November 2019.

Date issued: 4 March 2021 | Language: English | Download document

Decision concerning a request by Dr Jason Azzopardi MP for an investigation

On 8 November 2020 the Hon Dr Jason Azzopardi MP requested the Commissioner to investigate him in connection with reports that he had benefited from free accommodation during a visit to Tel Aviv in 2017. This document sets out the Commissioner’s decision concerning Dr Azzopardi’s request.

Date issued: 10 November 2020 | Language: Maltese | Download document

Revised codes of ethics for MPs and ministers

This report proposes revised codes of ethics for members of the House of Representatives and for ministers and parliamentary secretaries. It was presented to the Standards Committee as a recommendation in terms of article 13(1)(g) of the Standards in Public Life Act.

Date issued: 29 July 2020 | Language: English | Download document

Proposals for the regulation of lobbying: summary document

This eight-page document summarises the Commissioner’s proposals for the regulation of lobbying. It is available in Maltese and English and can be read without reference to the main document (see below).

Date issued: 6 April 2020 | Language: English and Maltese | Download document in English | Download document in Maltese

Proposals for the regulation of lobbying: consultation paper

This consultation paper sets out proposals for a new law to regulate lobbying and invites feedback from the public. After the consultation period closes, the Standards Commissioner will revise his proposals as necessary in the light of public comments and present them as formal recommendations to the government in terms of article 13(1)(f) of the Standards in Public Life Act.

Date issued: 28 February 2020 | Language: English | Download document

Statement by the Commissioner on government jobs for backbench MPs

This statement follows a report issued by the Commissioner on 5 July 2019 in which he found that it was fundamentally wrong for the government to give appointments to backbench MPs, and a response published on 11 November 2019 by the Principal Permanent Secretary arguing that there was nothing wrong with this practice. In this statement the Commissioner explains why he disagrees with the Principal Permanent Secretary’s views.

Date issued: 22 November 2019 | Language: English and Maltese | Download document in English | Download document in Maltese

Proposals on constitutional reform

This 138-page report presents detailed proposals for change to the Constitution of Malta. The proposals are aimed at improving standards in public life by strengthening Parliament and the judiciary, reinforcing the principle of merit in appointments, and putting Maltese public administration on a more solid footing. The report includes draft constitutional amendments that are based on these proposals.

The Commissioner for Standards presented this report to the President of Malta in response to his call for public submissions on constitutional change.

Date issued: 30 October 2019 | Language: English | Download document

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The Committee for Standards in Public Life