A freedom of information (FOI) request for ministers’ wealth declarations has been rejected by the prime minister’s office.
The request by Times of Malta was made after Robert Abela broke with tradition by refusing to publish copies of the annual asset declarations – including his own – in parliament.
Abela’s office justified rejecting the FOI request by saying the declarations are filed for the prime minister’s scrutiny.
The prime minister’s office also pointed to a recent ruling by parliament speaker Anġlu Farrugia, which said cabinet members are under no obligation to publish the declarations.
The ruling was prompted by PN MP Karol Aquilina, who had noted that the ministerial declarations for 2023 had yet to be filed in parliament.
Abela’s office further argued against the Times of Malta FOI request by saying that cabinet members had already presented a separate asset declaration as MPs to parliament.
Contrary to the ministerial asset declarations, the declarations made by MPs are not published and can only be viewed in person.
Financial disclosures help identify unjustified wealth
Financial disclosures of assets or interests play an important role in national anti-corruption systems, as they can help identify unjustified wealth.
An EU-funded study of Malta’s financial disclosure system recommended expanding the range of officials subject to reporting obligations and the type of information that elected and appointed officials are required to disclose.
The study said asset declarations are a useful tool to enhance transparency, and accountability and fight against corruption.
“In particular, managing and analysing asset declarations’ data enables investigators and law enforcement agencies to detect and prove irregularities,” the study said.
Instead of taking these recommendations on board, the prime minister has so far declined to make the financial declarations covering 2023 easily accessible to the public and media by presenting them in parliament.
Opposition leader Bernard Grech recently claimed Abela was refusing to make the ministerial declarations public to shield his own source of wealth.
Grech questioned whether the prime minister was covering something up for himself, his wife or his ministers.
Apart from the opposition and civil society, Abela has faced calls by the Standards Commissioner to publish the asset declarations.
In a letter to the prime minister last month, Commissioner Joseph Azzopardi also encouraged the government to expand parliament’s asset declaration system in line with OECD recommendations.