Ian Borg did not breach ethics by commissioning an advert wishing readers a Happy Easter in the newspaper It-Torċa, the Standards Commissioner has concluded.

Commissioner George Hyzler said in a statement on Thursday that his investigations showed the €82.60 advert had been paid by Borg himself. 

The investigation came on the back of a complaint filed by independent candidate Arnold Cassola. 

Cassola flagged the advert as it featured the Maltese coat of arms, included a picture of Borg and text saying: “The Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects wishes a happy Easter to the people of Malta and Gozo. Work in our communities will continue so we can keep providing a better quality of life.” 

Borg informed the commissioner that the coat of arms had been included in the advert by mistake.

The commissioner observed that the advert should have been issued in the name of the minister, not the ministry, but accepted that this too was a mistake.

Hyzler noted that given the minister had paid for the advert himself, he had nothing to gain by issuing it in the name of his ministry rather than in his own name.

The commissioner, therefore, concluded that there had been no breach of ethics in this case and he dismissed the complaint. 

Last August, Hyzler published new guidelines stating that government-sponsored publications should indicate they were publicly funded for the sake of transparency, and ministers should direct public funds to the media for advertising according to fair and objective criteria. 

Cassola's reply

In a reply, Cassola said he noted that the Commissioner had accepted Borg's explanation that Malta's coat of arms was used in the advert by mistake.

"Permit me to tell you that you are being too good and naive with a shark such as Minister Borg," Cassola said.

However, he added that in spite of this lack of agreement, he (Hyzler) still enjoyed his respect and confidence, both in him as well as in the useful work he was doing for the country.