Social Policy Minister Michael Falzon has sought to downplay a disability fraud scandal that happened under his watch and insisted he has no responsibility to bear for it.
“If there was political responsibility to assume for it, it was assumed by Silvio Grixti,” Falzon said. “We're both Christians. If one of us kills someone, should the Pope resign? The decision [to grant benefits] was a medical one."
Speaking in a radio interview on Saturday, the minister also appeared to contradict a timeline of events provided by his own ministry after Times of Malta revealed that police are probing a multi-million euro fraud of disability benefits.
As Social Policy Minister, Falzon is politically responsible for all non-contributory benefits disbursed by the government, including the severe disability benefit that was targeted by fraudsters.
He has held that post since 2017.
Grixti, a family doctor from Għaxaq, is alleged to have played a key role in the years-long fraud that enabled hundreds of people to receive disability benefit payments they were not entitled to.
Beneficiaries have told police that they were given falsified documents by Grixti and others, which they then used to apply and obtain monthly benefit cheques averaging €450 a month.
Grixti was a Labour MP at the time but resigned in late 2021 when the police began investigating the racket, which remained hidden from public view until Times of Malta exposed it in an exclusive investigation earlier this month.
'This wasn't about vote buying'
Some beneficiaries said they were offered the benefit by Labour Party insiders when they threatened not to vote for the party. Others have said they were directed to Grixti when they complained to the Office of the Prime Minister about a lack of financial support.
The scandal sparked a political uproar and prompted questions about the Labour Party using illegal means – and taxpayer money – to win public support.
But speaking on Saturday in a radio interview with RTK103's Andrew Azzopardi, Falzon argued that the scandal was a relatively small issue and had nothing to do with Labour seeking to buy votes.
“We’re taking about 160 cases,” he said. “Anyone who suggests this is about vote buying isn’t thinking straight. Between 160 cases and a 40,000 vote majority… this wasn’t about vote buying. It was a bad incident, an illegal one, and those involved should pay the price. But this was not a vote-buying scheme.”
Around 160 benefit fraudsters have been charged and convicted so far. They are being made to pay back the money stolen, which amounts to over €2 million.
Police are probing an estimated 800 cases linked to the severe disability benefit.
Questions about timeline
Falzon also acknowledged that he learned of the racket in late 2021, when the Office of the Prime Minister alerted police to reports that Grixti was involved in a benefit fraud racket.
“When the Prime Minister flagged this case, obviously… we talk among ourselves. The police then came to us and asked us for documentation, which we handed over,” Falzon said on Saturday.
Previously, Falzon’s ministry had told Times of Malta that its Income Support and Compliance Division (ISCD) had detected possible fraud in September 2022.
“This process led the ISCD to alert the police about possible forged medical certifications submitted with applications for Severe Disability Assistance (SDA),” Falzon’s ministry had said at the time.
Falzon highlights work to stop fraudsters
In Saturday’s interview, Falzon emphasised that social benefit assessors catch an average of 1,100 benefit cheats every year.
He also noted just 40 per cent of applicants for disability benefits that appear before a government-appointed medical board are accepted.
The minister however glossed over questions about why doctors were so easily fooled by applicants with forged documents, saying he could not speak about “medical aspects”.
He also sidestepped questions about why he and his ministry had only acted to dig into the racket once it was exposed by the media. He insisted his ministry was cooperating with the police and providing them with all the documentation requested.
Falzon appointed a board of inquiry to investigate processes linked to the disability benefit after Times of Malta exposed the fraud.
That board of inquiry, which is being led by retired judge Antonio Mizzi, will not be assessing individual benefits cases and is instead focused on the processes involved in the benefit system, Falzon emphasised.
It remains unclear whether the Mizzi-led board will advise solely on the severe disability benefit abused in this case, or various other benefits that are subject to similar processes too.
According to terms of reference published by Falzon’s ministry, the board has been asked to focus specifically on the severe disability benefit. But answering media questions last week, Falzon insisted the board would be able to look into all relevant benefit systems.