The Republic is ‘sick’ and government has allowed wounds to ‘fester’, ADPD says

ADPD - The Green Party has slammed government for failing to address shortcomings in transparency and accountability.

“The Republic of Malta is seriously sick. The disease is the result of a lack of good governance that has gnawed away at our institutions, resulting in gross abuse and corruption,” the party said on Saturday.

Chairperson Sandra Gauci and Deputy Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo addressed a press conference outside the Office of the Prime Minister at Castille in Valletta on Saturday morning.

“The little that we know about these scandals is because of the continuous efforts of the National Audit Office (NAO), the Ombudsman and the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life.  It is a result of their investigations that we now know, more clearly than ever, that the Labour Party in government has not only allowed this abuse to fester but has also actively tried to cover it up. It is a government that continuously closes both eyes to the ongoing abuse of public office,” Cacopardo said.

He said “serious accountability” is needed. “This means that everybody needs to take responsibility for their actions. This does not apply only to politicians who abuse their position of power, but also the public officials who enable this to happen. This is what happened in every single case. Despite this, these enablers retain their current positions or are rewarded in other ways.”

Sandra Gauci spoke about the case of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, who she said enabled the abuse perpetrated by Justyne Caruana.

He was removed from that post, only to be appointed as CEO of Aquatic Resources Malta.

She also added that the same occurred in the case of the Institute for Tourism Studies, where a phantom job was created for Rosianne Cutajar, with the enabler also embroiled in several other irregularities as well. “As a party, we pay attention to these things and we regularly bring things to the attention of the General Auditor as well as the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life about alleged irregularities that need to be investigated.”

Sandra Gauci said that there are several pending requests submitted by ADPD for investigation. 

“This week we have asked for the appointment of Johann Buttigieg as CEO of the Planning Authority, who is currently a consultant to a major developer, to be investigated. The Planning Authority should be in competent hands, far from any direct influence from the developers’ lobby.  We have asked for an investigation because the clear conflict of interest here has been completely ignored. A person who is very close to the developers’ lobby

should never be appointed as the regulator of development. This week we have also been informed by the Auditor General that our request for an investigation into Project Green will proceed,” she said.

She said the ADPD will continue to push for transparency.

“Accountability is necessary so that everybody takes responsibility for their actions. Without transparency and a strong sense of accountability, our country cannot navigate its way towards good governance,” concluded Gauci.