Junior Minister Chris Bonett did not breach ethics by taking his official car on a family holiday, the Standards Commissioner has found, but he warned that there could have been “more caution and prudence” in the matter. 

Standards Commissioner Joseph Azzopardi decided that the complaint against Bonett, made by Arnold Cassola, did not merit further investigation as the parliamentary secretary was not found to be in breach of any regulations. 

Reports of Bonett taking his ministerial car to Sicily on a family holiday emerged last November, with questions arising as to whether this constituted a breach of how official cars are supposed to be used.

The car had been leased by the Foreign Affairs Ministry in 2020, two years before Bonett was elected to office. It was subsequently reassigned to him as parliamentary secretary for EU funds to avoid the government having to pay penalties tied to terminating the lease agreement early, as the car had been leased for a period of five years. 

Azzopardi said that when a minister is assigned an official car, it is designated for their use “as if it were their own” and it is “well known” that other officials have made use of their official cars to travel overseas. 

“This does not mean that this practice is good and certain prudence in the use of the car should always be employed,” he said. 

“In the presence of doubt, one should choose the least controversial and most ethical path.”

In examining the lease agreement for the vehicle, Azzopardi found that it included a clause that should the user wish to take the car overseas, then the owners must be notified and the client must pay additional fees for break-down coverage and insurance extension in Europe. 

Bonett exhibited receipts that showed that he paid these fees himself, Azzopardi said. 

The commissioner found that while it was evident Bonett did not break any rules, the parliamentary secretary and others who enjoy the same benefit should use “caution and prudence” with respect to public perception. 

“This office has an obligation to safeguard more than that which is permissible by law because ethics goes above and beyond this,” he said. 

Azzopardi recommended that guidelines be drawn up that apply not only to ministers and parliamentary secretaries but to all government officials. These should be drafted and made public so that the general population can put their mind at ease.