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Julian Manduca
The frustration of MEPA’s auditor at a spate of missing files from the Malta Environment and Planning Authority would seem to be ‘misdirected’, at least according to MEPA itself.
Writing about a case in August 2004, MEPA’s Audit Officer Joseph Falzon wrote that the case of the missing files at the authority had been confirmed by the fact that an enforcement file has been misplaced.
“I am finding that it is a very convenient way how to obstruct investigations by ‘losing’ the relative files. I have already remarked on the fact that files seem to get lost at a considerable rate, and that this is unacceptable.”
The auditor recommended that the Authority should tighten up internal controls on the movement of files “to ensure that the loss or untraceability of files is an exception and not a frequent occurrence.”
MEPA PRO Sylvana Debono denied that files were being lost. She told MaltaToday: “the occurrence is not, as the expression by the Audit Officer’s report might lead one to imagine. The fact is that files sometimes move without the officer responsible for taking the file having recorded the move. This leads to a search for the file amongst the employees of MEPA, a time-consuming affair. It might also be that the file would be at a person who would be out on sick leave. Suffice it to say that the file is almost always found. In the cases it is not, normal office procedures are followed.”
Political interference
In the same auditor’s report the auditor quoted an e-mail message in which reference was made to interference by a higher authority by the head of MEPA’s enforcement team: “The ex-director (of MEPA) has given an explicit order not to intervene in this situation and that it was being dealt with by higher authority. I was also instructed to inform complainant that matter was referred to higher authority.”
When MaltaToday asked MEPA whether it was often that higher authorities interfered with the issuing of permits and enforcement notices and what safeguards applicants had against such interference, Debono referred this newspaper to a letter by the Director of Information explaining that it had been MEPA’s director that contacted minister George Pullicino and not the other way round.
The MEPA spokesperson also added: “With regards to the independence of the authority, I might refer you to the Development Planning Act.”
julian@newsworksltd.com
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