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.

Comments

Ben Grech (on 14/5/08)

The following I believe doesn t prove that rules were not bent to aid a particular shipping agent at all;

"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.

Pamela Hansen (on 14/5/08)

I do not think that the comments from Joe Borg are specific to the cases mentioned above.
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!

Alex Ellul (on 14/5/08)

@Paul Fava: I am not sure about the answer to your comment asking if the CAC ever found "any trace of corruption somewhere?" If so, could it be the case that accusations are being thrown about like confetti during carnival? Haven't we been there before when a commission set up by the then PM Dr. Sant to investigate his own allegations were found to be inconclusive by the same commission he set-up? Or was it a one man thing?

Jeremy J camilleri (on 14/5/08)

When a debate like this crops up, it s always evident that we respond whilst wearing blue and red thinking caps. Very infantile!

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.

S Fenech (on 14/5/08)

Justice delayed, justice denied. The sole victim of these claims was ex Minister Censu Galea who had to bear in silence (waiting for the Commission's deliberations) all Mr Mizzi's allegations in Paliament - which were no repeated outside Parliament. Now it is more clear - Censu Galea is an honest and honourable man who deserved more in the last elections.

I. M. Dingli (on 14/5/08)

@ Mr. Cunningham..... i guess your opinion regards the JPO case is that he's completely innocent, correct? His own comments prove him otherwise so i guess some guilt from his side is already proven by his own words. Maybe in the next 5 years we might hear the outcome of the investigations!!!

Alex Ellul (on 14/5/08)

@Joe Borg: Lets go back to the times when people were condemned on a whim by a rabid crowd and lynched 0n a tree. Is this what commentators like you want? Cant you just accept decisions by the courts of law and state commissions? I bet that you do not even accept a 5 aside friendly soccer game result; you just always want to win. With such attitudes, I can go on the TV, press, radio etc and just blurt out accusations on whoever I want to and expect everyone to believe me. this is just Santian politics.

paul fava (on 14/5/08)

Can anyone please inform me of one instance in which the 'Commission Against Corruption' found any trace of corruption somewhere ?

M. Briffa (on 14/5/08)

I particularly liked the part:

"...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!

Alex Borg (on 14/5/08)

Mr Joe Borg, I nearly fell off my chair when I read your posting. I agree with you 100%.

A.Gauci Cunningham (on 14/5/08)

I dont know why we even bother to investigate corruption claims by the Opposition if as soon as we get these kinds of conclusions we'll get the same boooring "irtirata" of "who chose these ppl?" "paraventu!! Paraventu!!".........................I think ppl like mr.Mizzi will only believe what One TV says at the end of the day...............Imagine what furore of "paraventu!! Paraventu!!!" these ppl are going to create if JPO is proved to be clean of any corruption!! Holl xaghrek u gib iz-zejt as we say in Maltese!!!!!!!!!!! Probably they'll ask for the Commisioner's head on a silver platter!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Norman Brown (on 13/5/08)

@A.Mizzi

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

Joe Borg (on 13/5/08)

I am going to sleep better now. Malta is the most saintly country in the universe. There is no corruption what so ever. I suggest the UN, the EU, World Bank, IMF, Microsoft, Boeing Corporation, Exxon, Shell, Nokia, and all other Fortune 500 companies to come to Malta to learn how they build a corruption-free culture and society.

Good Night !!

Anthony Mizzi (on 13/5/08)

For the sake of transparency and justice not only be done but seen to be done, it would certainly be good to know the names and professions, and experience of persons sitting on appointed Commissions to evaluate and appreciate more the final judgment given on claims and their judgment.

How are these members chosen and by whom?

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Tuesday, October 7, 2008. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

Commission rejects corruption claims

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