
Tuesday, 13th May 2008 - 21:23CET
Commission rejects corruption claims
The Commission Against Corruption has found no evidence of corruption in four cases it was asked to investigate following allegations made in Parliament and in a newspaper.
Three of the cases were moved by former Competitiveness Minister Ċensu Galea following allegations in Parliament by Labour MPs Joe Mizzi and Jose Herrera.
Mr Mizzi had alleged that a restaurant close to the Yachting Centre at Ta' Xbiex was using Malta Maritime Authority (MMA) facilities.
The Commission concluded that there was no abuse since one of the conditions of rent was that the authority's toilets could be used by the clients of the restaurant.
Mr Mizzi had also claimed that the MMA had changed the way it registered vessels older than 25 years so as to benefit a particular shipping agent.
The Commission concluded that no practice had been changed because of someone's personal interest and 16 agents had benefited from this change.
It said that no application was accepted after it had been refused by others.
Dr Herrera had claimed that MMA chairman Marc Bonello had a direct interest in tenders being awarded and was being present for their adjudication.
The Commission concluded that Dr Bonello had no conflict of interest.
The other case was moved by Chief Justice Vincent de Gaetano following an article in Business Today written by George M. Mangion.
Mr Mangion had claimed that irrespective of a number of pleas from whistleblowers, the government refused to heed reports uncovering information on judges, magistrates, lawyers, notaries, businessmen and politicians who appeared to have been involved in anetwork of corruption and deceit.
The Commission concluded that Mr Mangion had no evidence of corruption by any members of the judiciary or others and as he himself said when giving evidence he had copied a paragraph from the Internet because he liked the diction. That paragraph was part of a report going back 20 years.




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Comments
"Mr Mizzi had also claimed that the MMA had changed the way it registered vessels older than 25 years so as to benefit a particular shipping agent. The Commission concluded that no practice had been changed because of someone's personal interest and 16 agents had benefited from this change. "
In 1999 when commencing my university education, the entrance requirements for the medicine course were lowered for a single year to coincide with an 'important person's ' daughter's entrance into the said course. At the time I was informed that I too could apply for the medicine course as my own grades were now good enough to get me in. Thus rules were scandolously bent to favour a certain individual and not only did this individual benefit but so did a number of other students.
I m certain that many cases of abuse of power have been carried out in a certain manner. We should condemn these acts irrespective of our small minded political beliefs.
But how many cases of corruption has the Commission confirmed?
One does get the impression, overall, that we do indeed live in Paradise and we are a nation of angels!
Does the Commission publish a yearly document where the results of cases brought before it are published?
Or does it just give the media chosen titbits?
And I do hope there time is taken up by more serious matters than restaurant patrons using MMA 's toilets!
Corruption is something that shall be there as long as we have institutions, no matter which party is in Government.
Mr. Fava has hit the nail on the head. Either our institutions are saintly, or there is something VERY inadequate in our commissions against corruption. Of Course, my opinion is not based upon these recent cases, but on the scant number of proven cases down the years.
"...as he (Mr. Mangion) himself said when giving evidence he had copied a paragraph from the Internet because he liked the diction."
Isn't this guy a regular columnist on a newspaper? Lovely!
I agree completely with your suggestions. You have to trust implicitly the people involved.
@ J. Borg
I disagree completely with your allegations. Without even giving the slightest shred of proof that these persons are not to be trusted......you condemn
Good Night !!
How are these members chosen and by whom?