Speaker votes against standards report on ethical breaches in taxpayer-funded adverts

Speaker Anġlu Farrugia has cast his deciding vote against the adoption of a report that revealed ethical breaches by 18 ministers in relation to taxpayer-funded advertisements celebrating their own political accomplishments.

The report, conducted by former Commissioner for Standards in Public Life George Hyzler, specifically criticised a supplement published in the Labour Party's newspaper to mark Prime Minister Robert Abela's second year in office, deeming it a misuse of public funds. The front page of the supplement prominently featured Abela himself.

Hyzler recommended that the €16,700 spent on the advertising campaign be returned.

The investigation found that 28 pages of the supplement were filled with government advertisements praising the achievements of ministries and related entities, which violated the Standards Commissioner's guidelines on advertising.

Hyzler stressed that while the newspaper had the right to publish such a supplement, the ministers involved should not have used public funds to support it, as this blurred the line between their roles as ministers and members of a political party, constituting an improper use of public funds.

However, during the Committee for Standards in Public Life's vote on the adoption of the report, two government members voted against it, while two opposition members voted in favor.

As a result, the decision fell to the Speaker, who held the casting vote.

Farrugia chose to vote against adopting the report, citing the argument that the current guidelines referred to by the Commissioner were not legally binding.

He further justified his decision by explaining that the casting vote practice aimed to favour the continuation of debates and delay decisions until majority support was achieved.

In response, the PN issued a statement on Thursday, accusing the government of perpetuating a "culture of impunity" that rendered the existing ministerial code of ethics "irrelevant and unsanctionable."

The PN highlighted that Farrugia's decision indicated a predisposition to vote against adopting such reports in similar cases.

The party also reminded that in a previous instance involving former Minister Carmelo Abela's €7,000 advertising expenditure, the Speaker had abstained, claiming the absence of guidelines governing ministerial advertising.

The PN emphasised the necessity of its proposed Public Member's Bill, which seeks to restructure the Standards Committee by removing the Speaker from its leadership and introducing external individuals to the committee.