No apology from PM despite ethics breach in government Facebook video

Prime Minister Robert Abela refused to apologise despite breaching parliamentary ethics in a Facebook advert, a Standards Commissioner report shows.

Standards Commissioner Joseph Azzopardi was willing to close the case had he done so, but after the Abela’s refusal, he passed on his report to Parliament.

The four members of the Standards in Public Life committee – Jonathan Attard and Andy Ellul for the government, and Mark Anthony Sammut and Ryan Callus for the opposition –

 all agreed that the report should be published during a Standards Committee meeting on Monday.

Last month, independent MEP candidate Arnold Cassola, who lodged the complaint, announced that the Standards Commissioner had determined Prime Minister Abela to have breached ethics.

Screenshot of the video uploaded to Facebook page MaltaGov

Cassola revealed he had been notified that the Speaker of the House of Representatives had received a report concerning his filed complaint in February 2023.

According to Cassola, this indicated that the individual targeted by the complaint, in this instance the Prime Minister, had been found guilty of a breach in parliamentary ethics.

Cassola had lodged a complaint regarding a “propaganda video” released by the Office of the Prime Minister, featuring the PM engaging with individuals in Gozo, which was posted on the government's Facebook page, Maltagov.

He argued that this constituted clear advertising for the Prime Minister, funded by taxpayers, and violated recommendations from the Standards Commissioner's office.

Screenshot of the video uploaded to Facebook page MaltaGov

In the report, the commissioner determined the total expense of the video was merely €700, with only €100 allocated for social media promotion. It was deemed a minor infraction, with the commissioner suggesting a written apology from the Prime Minister to close the matter.

However, in December, when Cassola informed Abela of the breach and requested an apology, Abela declined, asserting his rights to a fair hearing were violated because he wasn't afforded the opportunity to present evidence.

The 37-second video, titled “Prime Minister Robert Abela visits a number of projects in Gozo,” depicts the PM interacting with individuals in public settings, accompanied by background music.

According to the commissioner, the video “consistently highlights the prime minister as he interacts with people and offers no information about the projects,” except for on-screen text indicating the visit's location.

Screenshot of the video uploaded to Facebook page MaltaGov

The video was posted on the MaltaGov Facebook page, managed by the Office of the Prime Minister, and was promoted for wider dissemination, making it promotional content, as per the Commissioner's assessment.

Abela contended that the complaint was “trivial” and portrayed him visiting publicly funded government projects of national significance.

“The visit was intended to give an update about important ongoing government works, of which the public is the ultimate beneficiary, and about which it has a right to be informed,” he said.

Abela’s arguments were shot down by the commissioner, who ruled that the video focused on the PM and did not provide information on the projects. “The way this video is presented is intended as a personal advert for the PM.”

“This office, therefore, deems this case as an unjustified spending of public funds, lack of separation between the role of prime minister and MP, and a lack of respect towards impartiality in the public service,” Azzopardi concluded.

Cassola reaction 

In comments to the media, Cassola said that after having been found guilty of making use  of tax-payer funded personal propaganda, the Prime Minister refused to apologise, despite being given the opportunity by the Standards Commissioner to do so.

“It is so sad to witness that our country is led by a Prime Minister who, “apart from being a compulsive liar”, is also so arrogant and haughty and treats the Maltese people as his feudal serfs,” Cassola said.