Ombudsman wants Mepa audit office under his wing

The Ombudsman turned down a request by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to intervene in a dispute between the chairman and the audit officer over the reinstatement of an investigating officer.

However, he did provide a potential solution and recommended to the Prime Minister and to the Leader of the Opposition that the administration of the Mepa audit office as well as other similar offices dealing with citizens' rights, such as the Children's Commissioner and the University ombudsman, be serviced by the Ombudsman's office.

The idea is to enhance the institutions' investigating capabilities while affording them greater autonomy from the bodies they are meant to scrutinise.

The issue involving Mepa's outgoing investigating officer Carmel Cacopardo sparked off the initiative. In fact, autonomy was a cardinal issue invoked by Mepa's auditor, Joe Falzon, while refusing to have someone else other than Mr Cacopardo act as investigating officer.

"As far as I am concerned, Mepa is involved in this matter insofar as it has to provide adequate staff for the audit office," he had told The Times in connection to the authority's stand on Mr Cacopardo's employment.

Mepa wants to block the reinstatement of Mr Cacopardo - the material author of a number of the audit offices' critical reports over the past years - a position which has been interpreted by Mr Falzon as interference.

Nonetheless, a measure of consensus was secured yesterday between the two sides in connection with the Ombudsman's proposal. In fact, Mepa has informed Ombudsman Joseph Said Pullicino that its board and the audit officer have agreed to shelve the dispute over Mr Cacopardo and wait for the government's response to Dr Said Pullicino's proposal.