Security clearance feud opens new rift over army

A feud between the government and the Opposition over an accelerated promotion for four majors to become colonels, the highest ranks in the Maltese army, shows no sign of abating.

After MaltaToday revealed that AFM commander Jeffrey Curmi had not yet been security cleared for access to classified ‘top secret’ EU and Nato documents since his appointment in September 2013, it was only this week that home affairs minister Manuel Mallia confirmed in parliament that Curmi’s clearance had been stepped up to ‘secret’ only prior to his promotion.

Both parties remain at loggerheads over the promotions of Curmi and Mark Mallia from majors to lieutenant colonels, and finally colonels, over the space of just a few weeks in 2013.

On one side, the government says their promotions were overdue and that political prejudice under the former administration kept them from advancing.

But the promotions have been problematic: after coming to power, the government reduced a two-year eligibility for promotion from major to lieutenant colonel to one year. Deputy commander David Attard resigned as early as July 2013 after being transferred to commandant of the Safi detention centre; and AFM commander Martin Xuereb announced his resignation shortly after the ‘double promotions’ in September.

Across the divide, the Opposition is now accusing the government of promoting Jeffrey Curmi to colonel and appointing him AFM commander without having had the highest form of security clearance – ‘top secret’ – which would have granted him access to classified EU and Nato military information.

Home Affairs minister Manuel Mallia has played down claims that Curmi’s appointment depended on acquiring the highest form of security clearance. But in parliament Mallia revealed – for the first time – that Curmi had a security clearance of ‘confidential’ – which precedes the highest security levels of ‘secret’ and ‘top secret’ – since 2008, and that this was stepped up to ‘secret’ before his promotion to colonel in September 2013.

The lack of transparency surrounding the accelerated promotions only sharpened the Opposition’s hawkishness over the appointment of Curmi.

MaltaToday this week revealed that it was only in February 2014, that the Security Services started a credit status check, a necessary prerequisite for ‘top secret’ clearance.

Mallia was adamant in parliament that the ‘top secret’ clearance was crucial for access to EU and Nato documents, and that this was not dependent on an army rank.

He also said that ‘top secret’ clearance was only introduced in 2011 for army officials under the Nationalist administration, due to the need for access these documents.

“Curmi himself had ‘secret’ clearance when he was a major, but not because this was connected to his rank, but because he was the head of the Explosives Ordinance Unit, which required him to have access to certain EU and Nato documents.”

Mallia insisted that Curmi’s and Mallia’s promotions did not require a ‘top secret’ clearance.

A government spokesperson who spoke to MaltaToday this week said that six colonels, including former commander Martin Xuereb and deputy commander David Attard, were promoted to their ranks in November 2007. With the exception of Xuereb, they were all security cleared to ‘top secret’ level in 2011/2012. Prior to that, they were cleared to ‘confidential’, two levels down.

“Xuereb was cleared ‘top secret’ as a major, when he was working at the permanent representation to the EU in Brussels, to attend top secret level meetings, and not because he was Brigadier,” the government spokesperson said.

But Jason Azzopardi, the shadow home affairs minister, claims Manuel Mallia is displaying “a basic lack of understanding in army administration”, insisting that the AFM commander should have had a higher security clearance at the time of his promotion.

“If clearance began after their appointment, it means they didn’t have ‘top secret’ clearance and were incapable of fulfilling their responsibilities in terms of EU institutions with respect to defence. They still are, since their ‘top secret’ clearance has not been forthcoming as yet.”

‘Top secret’ clearance, as set out in a European Council decision, demands a security investigation covering the colonels’ 10-year financial history: information on all their financial transactions to assess their vulnerability to foreign or domestic pressure, or to discover unexplained affluence.

To Azzopardi, the admission that Curmi was not yet security-cleared at this level implies “an embarrassing situation” that he could not view classified EU and Nato documents.

“Under a PN government, the commander and deputy commander were ‘top secret’ cleared before, not after their appointment.

“These obligations are there precisely to give us the peace of mind that the people entrusted with our national security can indeed be trusted absolutely. This government is persistently riding roughshod over them.”