The prime minister’s approach to accountability has sent a clear message that "anything goes," Green Party deputy secretary general Mario Mallia said on Sunday following a damning report issued by the standards commissioner.
The report found Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo and Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri guilty of abusing their power and breaching ministerial ethics.
The report revealed that Bartolo’s now-wife, Amanda Muscat, was employed in a public sector role despite lacking the necessary qualifications or experience.
Mallia, speaking during a press conference in Valletta applauded the parliamentary committee for endorsing the report, calling it "a step in the right direction."
However, he criticised Abela’s inaction, saying the prime minister’s stance stood "in total contrast" to the committee’s decision.
"We have come to a point where the country is in agreement that there was abuse," Mallia said, questioning why no disciplinary action had been taken against the ministers involved.
He also urged the government to recover the funds ad said Abela had abdicated his responsibility to enforce accountability and ethical conduct and had shown if you act unethically, you “will find protection”.
Echoing Mallia’s criticism, Green Party chairperson Sandra Gauci accused the prime minister of prioritising loyalty to his inner circle over meritocracy and the national interest.
“For a number of years, the prime minister has turned a blind eye to the abusive practices involved in putting people on the public payroll," she continued, "especially when it concerns people close to ministers and the party in power.”
Gauci urged Abela to take "immediate, decisive, and concrete steps" against those implicated and to clarify his office’s approval of Muscat’s appointment.
She said Abela’s "weakness" in addressing such abuses was contributing to a "culture of corruption and impunity," and resulting in young people's disillusionment with local politics and a future in the country."
"As the saying goes, the fish rots from the head down,” she said.