NGO Repubblika has asked the new Standards Commissioner to investigate whether Economy Minister Silvio Schembri is breaching the ministerial code of conduct by allegedly being supported by businesses in the provision of constituency offices, and by using staff employed by the ministry in his private office.

The NGO based its complaints on the minister's replies to questions in parliament and reports in The Shift and Times of Malta.

It said the provision of district offices to the minister by big businesses or contractors could reflect bad judgement or place the minister under obligation to the providers, while breaching the ministerial code of ethics, as would the use of ministry officials in his district offices.  

It was recently reported that Schembri uses constituency offices in Siġġiewi and Luqa which don’t belong to him.  The office in Luqa belongs to the secretary general of the Malta Developers Association, Paul Attard while the one in Siġġiewi belongs to Anton Camilleri, who also sits on the MDA executive council.

Repubblika said it was also asking the commissioner to investigate Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar after a Times of Malta report that she had not listed on the ministerial declaration of assets a job she had as a consultant at the Institute of Tourism Studies. Cutajar had revealed the job in chats with Yorgen Fenech.

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