Standards czar wants procedure change to publish dismissal decisions

The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life has formally requested a change to procedure to allow the publication of dismissal decisions, citing concerns that current secrecy rules allow political media to misrepresent his findings.

In a letter sent Wednesday to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Commissioner Joseph Azzopardi expressed frustration over how political media outlets reported on a recent complaint involving Opposition Leader Alex Borg.

The controversy stems from a 19 December decision in which Azzopardi declined to investigate allegations that Borg had made false statements regarding generic medicines.

The Commissioner ruled he could not investigate the matter because the Code of Ethics for Members of Parliament does not explicitly include an obligation of honesty.

Furthermore, he determined the conduct did not meet the threshold of breaching the “status and dignity” of the House.

Because established protocols prevent the Commissioner from publishing decisions where no investigation is launched, the public was left to rely on partisan interpretations:

One News reported the commissioner found Borg had provided false information but was “not bound to tell the truth” under the code. Net News countered the commissioner “found nothing” and determined there was no basis for an investigation.

Azzopardi argued that the current practice, established by the Standing Committee on Standards in Public Life in 2019, is outdated. While the rule was originally intended to protect individuals from the damage of uninvestigated allegations, Azzopardi noted that most complaints are already public knowledge by the time they reach his office.

“In cases like this, the fact that I cannot publish my decision only means that those who want to give a false picture of the decision can do so with total ease,” Azzopardi wrote.

The letter, which Azzopardi made public to highlight the issue, concludes with a plea for the committee to reach an decision in the interest of transparency.