Standards czar investigation finds no wrong doing by Nationalist MP Toni Bezzina

Nationalist MP Toni Bezzina was found innocent of any alleged ethics breach in relation to his work as government architect by a standards czar investigation.

Bezzina was the target of a campaign by the Labour Party and its associates who were claiming he was not showing up to work as government architect, but was instead engaging in private practice during official hours. He was subsequently reported to the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life by blogger Neville Gafa.

The commissioner also did not pursue investigations into similar claims against MPs Ivan Castillo and Robert Cutajar, saying there was no evidence on which to base the inquiry. 

The Nationalist MP told the commissioner he only takes time off for leave, sick leave, official appointments, or parliamentary duties. He also confirmed that he holds formal permission from the Permanent Secretary of the responsible ministry to undertake private architectural work. 

His private work is part of a firm comprising eight other individuals, and he consistently applies for leave to attend Planning Authority sittings or other relevant board meetings, he said. Bezzina testified that he compensates for time spent on meetings during work hours by working in the evenings or starting his workday as early as 4am.

Architect Stephen Bonello, the Director General of Public Works and Bezzina's direct superior, testified that Bezzina's commitments as an MP and a member of the Architects' Warranting Board are considered when assigning his work.  Bonello stated that he had never received any reports of him failing to attend work.

A point of contention highlighted in the report is Bezzina's refusal to sign the attendance register for approximately two years. 

Bezzina justified this stance by citing a directive from the Union of Architects and Engineers and internal government procedures that exempt Assistant Directors and those in headship positions from signing attendance records. 

This issue is presented as an ongoing industrial dispute in the report.

The Director General also noted that the department does not maintain records of Bezzina's absences related to parliamentary work, and he is not required to notify them each time he has such engagements.  When Bezzina applies for leave for constituency activities, the Director General approves it without requiring a specific reason, acknowledging leave is an employee's right.

The report also noted that the complainant did not provide direct evidence to substantiate the allegations.

Robert Abela must apologise – Nationalist Party

In reaction to the findings, the Nationalist Party said Prime Minister Robert Abela must apologise to Bezzina after no wrong doing was found.

“Just as Robert Abela publicly led a campaign to attack and tarnish the name of a Nationalist MP by falsely accusing him of not showing up to work, he should now publicly apologise to Toni Bezzina,” the PN said. “This entire episode clearly shows that whenever Robert Abela finds himself backed into a corner, instead of addressing the corruption surrounding him, he attempts to smear others in order to divert attention from himself. In fact, the complaints against the PN MPs were all submitted in November last year within the span of a few days – precisely during the same week when Abela was facing an unprecedented crisis that forced him to remove a senior Cabinet Minister.”