Prime minister urges standards czar to investigate time-barred allegations against him

Prime Minister Robert Abela has asked the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life to investigate allegations levelled against him by Judge Lawrence Mintoff.

In his letter to the standards czar, Abela specifically asked the commissioner to lift the time bar associated with certain allegations.

The standards czar cannot investigate alleged misconduct that occurred before the standards office was established.

Abela’s letter is a reaction to calls for him to be investigated by the standards czar after Judge Lawrence Mintoff penned an explosive letter released on Tuesday. 

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In his letter, Mintoff claimed Mintoff says he was summoned for a meeting at Auberge de Castille by the prime minister on 11 February to discuss the appointment of chief justice.

Mintoff also accused Abela that when he was a Labour MP and practicing lawyer, he pressured a court employee and misused parliamentary questions for his professional interest.

On Wednesday, Abela told the standards czar to investigate the time-barred allegations, insisting that he accepts all scrutiny because, “I have nothing to hide.”