Momentum proposes new transparency laws as PM blocks cabinet declarations

Political party Momentum has proposed a series of legislative reforms aimed at strengthening transparency in public life, following the government’s ongoing refusal to release ministers’ asset declarations for the year 2023.

The proposals were unveiled a day after it was confirmed that Prime Minister Robert Abela had, for a second consecutive year, blocked the publication of his cabinet’s financial declarations. The move goes against directives issued by both the Data Protection and Standards Commissioners, which had called for the documents to be made public.

Momentum's general secretary, Mark Camilleri Gambin, said the proposals seek to ensure that information about political wealth and public spending is no longer withheld from public view. “The public has a right to know if politicians are getting inexplicably rich while in government,” he said. “Our plan is simple: make transparency the default setting for government.”

The group’s proposals centre on three new laws. One would require the National Audit Office to carry out regular and independent audits of every elected official’s assets, beginning shortly after election and continuing on an annual basis. Auditors would be given access to bank accounts and property records, and any official found to have submitted false or incomplete information could face criminal charges.

Another proposal involves the creation of a real-time, publicly accessible online platform that would display government expenditure in detail. This would include all contracts and invoices, which would be published automatically. Momentum said this would put an end to the practice of concealing information behind claims of commercial confidentiality, and would ban the use of secret clauses in public contracts.

A third legislative proposal seeks to overhaul the country’s Freedom of Information framework. According to the group, this law would require the government to publish information as a matter of routine, rather than only when formally requested. It would also limit the ability of ministers to block the release of documents, and introduce a fixed deadline for responses to FOI requests. Officials who delay or obstruct access to information would be held personally accountable through financial penalties.

As part of its campaign, Momentum is also calling on all Members of Parliament and electoral candidates to publicly commit to opening their finances to independent audit. The group has posed the question directly: “Will you open your books to an independent audit for the people who pay your salary? Yes or no?”