Auditor General set to stay on under constitutional amendment
The amendment was approved unanimously in parliament
Updated 6.25pm after parliamentary vote.
A constitutional amendment that will allow the Auditor General and his deputy to stay in their posts if parliament fails to appoint successors was unanimously approved by parliament on Wednesday evening.
The changes allow Charles Deguara, who currently occupies the role, and his deputy, Noel Camilleri, to stay on after their term ends.
Deguara was set to retire in less than a week and even gave an interview to Times of Malta, reflecting on his 10 years in the post and his public service career that has spanned almost five decades.
The Auditor General is appointed for a five-year term, which can be extended by a further five years only once.
The incumbent can now stay on until his successor is found.
Talks between the government and the opposition on a new appointment have not started yet.
Like other constitutional appointments, including the Chief Justice, the appointment of the Auditor General and his deputy requires a two-thirds parliamentary majority.
In a statement on Tuesday, the government said the amendments are intended to “safeguard” the functioning and legal certainty of the Office of the Auditor General, which plays a central role in scrutinising the operations of the state.
During a brief debate in the House, Prime Minister Robert Abela said the government wants an Office like that of the Auditor General to scrutinise the government’s work and it therefore wanted to ensure that the post was not left vacant.
Opposition leader Alex Borg said the PN was voting in favour of the amendment because the opposition always worked in favour of the national interest, especially for constitutional appointments. Borg called for immediate talks for a new auditor-general to be appointed.