Ombudsman Anthony Mifsud has dismissed "public exchanges" about his office which he says have shown "a lack of appreciation if not outright ignorance" of the added value of the mediatory work carried out by his office.

In a foreword accompanying case notes for 2021, Mifsud, who is at the end of his tenure, said it was untrue that the office was not "embracing the principles of good governance". 

In January, the ombudsman had accused the head of the civil service of trying to undermine his office and in a letter to the speaker of the house, hit out at principal permanent secretary Mario Cutajar. He had accused him of trying to rein in his investigative work.  

Mifsud had been reacting to the foreward in a recent report published by Cutajar which had criticised the ombudsman’s work. In a right of reply, the Department of Information had said that the ombudsman was avoiding proposals that would introduce standard operating policies for that office, among others. 

It seems that Mifsud is now, once again, intent on setting the record straight. 

"It is a fallacy to opine that the Ombudsman institution has throughout the years in its internal management procedures failed to behave in the same way that it obliges other authorities to do or that it did not embrace the principles of good governance and practice by operating according to the same standards it set for others. Nothing is further from the truth," Mifsud said in the case notes foreward. 

He did not say what or who he was referring to, stating simply: "It is not proper for me at the end of my tenure to point fingers at the failures of others."

Mifsud also highlighted the "need to educate people, including persons in authority" on what he said are the real values of the ombudsman institution.

"Rather than promoting any attempt at redefining the institution, society should ensure that while recognising the need to improve procedures where needed, the ombudsman institution is not in any way weakened. 

"It should be strengthened not only through legislative provisions that further secure its autonomy and independence but also and perhaps more importantly, by a change in mentality that it is not an extension of the public administration but a valid instrument at the disposal of Parliament to hold the executive accountable for its actions at all times.

"This is my heartfelt hope for the future," he said. 

The case notes highlight complaints by aggrieved individuals seeking redress from the ombudsman for injustices suffered as a result of the conduct of the public administration or because of a systemic failure that was unfair or unjustly discriminatory. 

According to Mifsud, the case notes only review those complaints that need to be fully investigated, leading to a final opinion.

Many other complaints are resolved "through a process of active mediation between the office and public authorities".