The police do not consider the government’s ploy of sending out cheques on the eve of an election to be a corrupt practice under Maltese laws, a spokesperson for the corps told Times of Malta.
Opposition leader Bernard Grech said he expected an investigation into the issuing of the cheques during a visit to the Naxxar counting hall, hours after the PN’s massive election defeat, on Sunday.
“Nowhere in the world do you get a prime minister sending cheques 10 days before an election,” he decried.
Electoral laws forbid candidates from influencing voters by offering them gifts.
A leaflet accompanying the cheques sent out to 380,000 people in Malta and Gozo was signed by Prime Minister Robert Abela and Finance Minister Clyde Caruana.
Questioned if the PN would take the matter further, a spokesperson pointed out that a report to the electoral commission had already been filed by independent candidate Arnold Cassola.
“May we also point out that police should investigate on their own steam and they do not need to rely on filed reports to enforce our laws,” the spokesperson said.
The police, however, yesterday shut down the prospect of an investigation into Abela and Caruana.
Quoting the electoral laws, a police force spokesperson said: “The police do not consider the issuing of cheques by the Government as a corrupt practice in terms of Chapter 102 and Chapter 354 of the Laws of Malta”.
Caruana fended off claims of vote-buying during the election campaign, arguing the government had committed to send out the cheques prior to the election being called.
The tax refund cheques are sent out yearly.
This year’s refund was the earliest the cheques have ever been issued.
Over and above the tax refund, the government also sent out cheques ranging from €100-€200, in what it says was a bid to mitigate rising prices.
Replying to written questions by Times of Malta, the police spokesperson failed to say if other allegations of corrupt practices by candidates during the election campaign were being investigated.
Labour candidate Ray Abela blatantly handed out virtual reality headsets to a primary school in his district.
The headsets were all emblazoned with his name, personal website and the detail that he is a candidate on the first and third electoral districts.
Another Labour candidate, Edward Cassar Delia, was forced to deny breaching election laws after voters in his district received €10 fuel vouchers stapled to a leaflet emblazoned with his name and photo.
Rosianne Cutajar, too, was pictured handing out branded gifts on Women’s Day outside a school in her constituency.
The Labour Party won the 2022 general election by a 39,500-vote landslide.