Standards czar wishes to publish decisions on complaints that are not investigated

The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life is requesting the power to publish his decisions on complaints even when his office decides not to investigate them.

In a letter to the Speaker on Friday, the standards czar stated that his office had proposed this move to the Standards Committee way back in June.

The commissioner highlighted that while reports on investigations are made public, reports on decisions not to investigate are not disclosed by his office. 

This practice, agreed upon by the previous commissioner and the committee, is aimed at preventing the commissioner from publicizing allegations that he does not intend to investigate, to avoid harming individuals implicated in the claims. 

According to the established practice, reports on decisions not to investigate are shared exclusively with the complainant and typically also with the subject of the complaint.

However, the standards czar noted that allegations are already made public when a complaint is filed, and parties involved may choose to publicize the commissioner's decision not to investigate. 

To address this, the commissioner proposed that his office should have the authority to publish reports even when a decision not to investigate is made. 

The commissioner emphasizes the need for discretionary powers to share decisions with the media in exceptional cases, aiming to prevent misinterpretations of the decision.

Notably, the commissioner's recent decision not to investigate a complaint against MP Rosianne Cutajar was cited, where Cutajar announced her exoneration, while the NGO Repubblika, the complainant, later asserted that the case was closed due to a statute of limitations.