Updated 12.10 pm

The Standards Commissioner has said there is "no basis" for him to revise a report on Miriam Dalli, after the PN alleged that a mistake had let the minister off easy. 

The commissioner, former chief justice Joseph Azzopardi, had previously found that a statement issued by the ministry was politically "partisan" and therefore in breach of the ministerial code of ethics. 

But since the minister had apologised, Azzopardi had considered the matter closed. 

In reaction, the PN said that Azzopardi had made a mistake when he noted that Dalli had not yet been appointed minister at the time the complaint was filed. 

This mistake, they said, should be corrected and the report sent off to be considered by the Standards Committee. 

Dalli was appointed minister on November 23, 2020, and the commissioner's report was published in January 2021, when she was bound by the ministerial code of ethics. 

In a statement on Thursday, while Azzopardi did not dispute this timeline, he further clarified that the previous commissioner George Hyzler had received the report on November 1, 2020, and therefore the statement in question had not been issued while Dalli was a minister. 

He said that the case was closed both because Dalli had nevertheless apologised over the matter and when considering that some time had already passed since the report was filed. 

"Therefore, there is no basis for me to revise this case's conclusions and refer it to the Committee for Standards in Public Life," Azzopardi said.

"Case K/058 affirms the principle that official statements issued by the government should not include content of a partisan nature. The way the case was concluded has not material impact on this fact." 

Standards Commissioner part of ‘system of impunity’ - PN 

In reaction to Thursday’s letter, the PN said that through his actions Azzopardi was “rendering himself part of the system of impunity and couldn’t care less attitude that has brought the country to its knees”. 

In the statement, Shadow Justice Minister Karol Aquilina said that the commissioner was persisting with a mistake even though it had been specifically brought to his attention. 

In his report, Azzopardi found that Dalli had breached three articles of the code of ethics, but through this decision, the commissioner was “protecting Dalli from the consequences that should have arisen from his own report”, Aquilina said. 

“It is now more clear than ever how right the PN parliamentary group was to vote against the appointment of Chief Justice Emeritus Joseph Azzopardi as Standards Commissioner.”