Standards commissioner blasts Abela's secrecy on ministers' asset declarations
'A big step back in transparency', commissioner writes in report
Parliament’s standards commissioner has said he is unable to investigate the government’s decision to hide minister’s asset declarations from public scrutiny while reiterating his disapproval of the move.
Commissioner Joseph Azzopardi told ADPD the move “represents a substantial step backwards in terms of transparency.”
While the powers afforded to him by law did not allow him to investigate the decision, the Commissioner indicated that he would be taking a close look at the declarations – which were sent him only months after he started inquiring about the issue.
Azzopardi had already made it clear he disagreed with the government’s stance last February, when he sent Prime Minister Robert Abela a letter urging him to make ministers’ declarations of assets for 2023 “as soon as possible.”
Abela has declined to do so, saying there is no legal obligation for ministers’ declarations to be tabled in parliament, as was previously the custom.
Speaker Anglu Farrugia subsequently issued a ruling confirming the prime minister’s position.
Abela has instead said the government will be reforming the asset declaration system to ensure all MPs provide the same declaration, with no special provisions for members of the executive.
Parliament’s standards commissioner was asked to investigate the government’s decision in early December 2024, through a complaint filed by ADPD deputy leader Carmel Cacopardo.
The commissioner exchanged correspondence on the issue with both cabinet secretary Ryan Spagnol and Prime Minister Robert Abela.
His office was only given access to ministers’ asset declarations on March 12, he noted in his report.
Azzopardi noted that GRECO – the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body – has advised countries to make asset declarations easily available to the public. He reiterated his call for the government’s reformed system to be in line with standards suggested by himself and the OECD and said that the government should have continued to respect the custom of tabling declarations in parliament while the revised system was being drafted.
“Scrutiny of the assets of politicians in top positions, who have the most important responsibilities in the country and are therefore at risk of being exposed to undue influence, is important and accepted as necessary in other democratic countries,” the commissioner said.