Central Bank investigating information leakage claim

Evarist Saliba

Nov 23rd 2008, 14:00

@ Mike Magri

Is that all that you have to say to establish the truth?

An idiotic remark, dots, capital letters and exclamation marks?

V Caruana

Nov 22nd 2008, 18:21

Why is it that the central bank is launching an investigation? Why not the police to investigate?

Dr. Gatt and Dr. Muscat should be the main witnesses. Is Sandro Demarco 'the lamb to sacrifice"?

Since Dr. Gatt revealed this leakage AND the leader of the MLP is involved then naturally the outcome of the investigation shall favour Dr. Gatt!!

Markos Abdilla

Nov 22nd 2008, 16:35

@JPace who wrote: Something to Hide from EU? It is EU business now, what happens to Malta bank. Thanks to EU loans are going down at last! And hope they will continue in this rate going down, maybe one day I will start living again with some money in pockets.

Had Labour had its way today NO EU, NO EURO which would mean HIGHER interest rates - look at all other countries not in the EU!

a.dalli

Nov 22nd 2008, 14:39

@ J. Martinelli

Fully agree with you. But then the most Hon Dr. Austin Gatt LL.D., M.P should not have interfered. Nameing and shaming without investigating - smells of an alienating political rat.

Mike Magri

Nov 22nd 2008, 13:39

@.. Evarist Saliba... PN Apologist No:1...

YOU MUST BE JOKING, My Friend......!!!! That`s all.......

C. Marsh

Nov 22nd 2008, 12:32

I think this guy is being blamed, so as to alienate the facts. I believe the opposition should be given such data by the government. After all it represents at least half the population living here, if not much more.

Evarist Saliba

Nov 22nd 2008, 08:55

A number of commentators have claimed that no investigation was carried out in the case of the MIIT leak.

How can people be so blatantly biased that they deny the truth which is public?

An investigation was carried out, blame allocated, and steps taken.

Stop trying to deny facts to suit your own biased agenda. You only manage to undermine your credibility.

Muscat. Pat

Nov 22nd 2008, 00:28

If there are 20,000 leaks on citizens including MP's there is no fuss, indeed we hide everything. If there is a leak at the central bank, for one unimportant data, we raise a tsanami! This is really a Mickey Mouse administration!

mark tanti

Nov 21st 2008, 18:41

For the MLP supporters there are two ways and two measures. For the G.Cordina case nothing matters but for this case they are all raising hell. My opinion is that no one is to judge this person's behaviour or the minister's behaviour we must wait the end of the investigation even though MLP supporters never believe any investigation which does not end ot their liking.
Well it seems that A.Gatt is still the MLP target even in these days. Well he has been so for almost 30 years in which years he proved himself by results both on party and ministerial level
What I can say to all posting their comments is that Let us have more like A.Gatt in both parties With all mistakes and some times some arrogance Malta needs politicians like A.Gatt

MIKE MAGRI

Nov 21st 2008, 15:39

@..J. Martinelli, re reply to I. Galea`s comment..."..they, (MLP), were secretly receiving, unauthorized confidential information from Central Bank... What a cheek..??"

Sur Martinelli, the so called "..confidential information`.." which i guess you are implying to, are the huge tariffs on our Water and Electricity bills, which Prime Minister Number 2, Agostino Gatt wants to SLAM on us, AT ALL COSTS and IRRISPECTIVE of all the damaging consequences thereafter on the Maltese economy in general, and which should not have been `So Secret` after all, right.....??!!??!!

For your information, ALL SHAME AND `CHEEK` should be directed to PM No:2, Agostino Gatt, for hiding from us how exactly these tariffs were calculated and on what bases....... And to PM No: 1, GonziPN, for also trying to hide them from us by NOT even mentioning them in his budget speech AT ALL...!!!!

NOW THAT`S THE REAL `CHEEK`, SUR MICALLEF... MHUX HEKK...!!??!!??

U MELA TA DR. MUSCAT GHAX GABILNA GHAL-ATTENZJONI TAGHNA LKOLL, IL-VERITA MOHBIJJA MILL-PM NO: 1 U L-PM NO: 2.....!!!!!!! IL-VERU GHARUKAZA KIF GonziPN & CO., JIPPRETENDU LI JIBQGHU JGHADDU LILL- POPLU MALTI BIZ-ZMIEN, IL-HIN KOLLU.....!!!!!!

HALLINA HABIB.....

U GRAZZI MILL-QALB JOSEPH.. IBQA SEJJER HEKK...

B Sant

Nov 21st 2008, 11:19

this one is really good... such data is being investigated and the MITSS case and the Data Protection case is not .... is it a case of two weights.......?

P.Schembri

Nov 21st 2008, 10:51

New Politics according to Dr. Austin Gatt. Shoot the Messenger not the Message. Looks like Dr. Gatt knows that with the Labour Report on the tariffs, he has a bomb in his hand, and which is likely to explode any second. He can't criticise the report because it is too close to the real facts for comfort, so shoot the messenger, and make him shut up, or even worse make him say that he fabricated the report. Under the Gonzi Government anything is possible!

Paul Borg

Nov 21st 2008, 10:42

Its very unethical that a person name is made public before the outcome of the investigation. What will happen if this man is cleared by the investigation board??

Andrew Camilleri

Nov 21st 2008, 09:11

Just for the sake of argument let's assume that information was leaked and MLP used it to formulate its calculations - wouldn't that fact completely ridicule the Government's previous stand that MLP calculations were based on a wrong set of data?

I agree that such claims should be investigated fully and with all the relevant discretion. However I do feel that this case is being treated a bit more differently than the MITTS case and the PN's Sec Gen email to the Government departments.

d magro

Nov 21st 2008, 07:59

Rnju tat-Terrur, witch hunting, Anciem Regime....all has a thing in common Austin Gatt and PN !

C. Farrugia

Nov 21st 2008, 07:56

Mitts Leakage....

People who complain to ministries Leakage....

Central Bank Leakage...


Makes one REALLY wonder doesn't it??!!

J.Pace

Nov 21st 2008, 07:11

Something to Hide from EU? It is EU business now, what happens to Malta bank. Thanks to EU loans are going down at last! And hope they will continue in this rate going down, maybe one day I will start living again with some money in pockets.

S.Sammut

Nov 21st 2008, 06:50

What is this? A whistlebolowing act? Trying to hound the presumable leakage and in the meantime getting away with murder and alienating from the serious accusations levelled at supremo Ausin Gatt?

Robert Zammit

Nov 21st 2008, 00:37

I wonder whether Dr. Gatt did the right thing in naming and shaming the individual who (allegedly) passed on the data to Muscat. If there is reasonable suspicion that this person did actually pass on that data (even if his name was published), then there's Central Bank internal audit procedures, security, and if need be, the courts (and in most cases, there's two words: summary dismissal). People leaking sensitive data deserve the sack if it turns out that they did pass on sensitive data, but that's not for Dr. Gatt to decide. God forbid we go back to the times when politicians intruded in central bank processes - especially their internal audit.

What worries more than this, however, is the apparent ease with which any MP with a grudge against someone can draft an email with that person's name on it, table it in the House, and destroy that person's career in a second. That's done in Zimbabwe, not Malta.

J Martinelli

Nov 20th 2008, 23:58

Karl Borg Bartolo does not seem to know the meaning of work ethics. I hope he is not another civil servant himself. What does break of ethics have to do with oil prices?

There is nothing wrong with giving a full day's work. What is wrong, is what one does during work hours which is not part of his normal duties, or worse, in his own spare time, after working hours, communicationg and passing information to unauthorized persons.

@ I Galea

Another one of your priceless gems. Let me get this right. While your MLP were up in arms regarding the hacking of MITTS (and we don't know by whom), they were secretly receiving unauthorized confidential information from Central Bank? What a cheek!

@ I Abela. It's not that difficult to determine who the liar is, if any, since the information Austin Gatt passed on was obtained from the careless handling of electronic information appearing on Labour papers themselves!

@Maria Falzon, which planet are you orbiting?

@ Peter Camilleri, how do you know, Mr. Demarco is a Labour supporter?

@A Dalli - who determines what information is confidential or not? If CB and ECB deem it confidential, it is.

Clint E Taliana

Nov 20th 2008, 22:45

Without going into the case merits.... does Mr. Gatt still think that no password have been stolen from MITTS system??..... likewise I believe his statement in this case.

Duncan Sant

Nov 20th 2008, 22:26

No matter the political opinion of Mr Sandro Demarco, any leak of sensitive data is a crime and should be punished. I have complete trust in the CBM that the investigation will be carried out in an ethical and correct way.

What really angers me is that the name of Mr Demarco has been made public by no other than Austin Gatt without an investigation being carried out before. If Austin Gatt really had suspicion on this person, he should have said his name to the CBM superiors and not publicly. Then if found guilty his name is made public.

Edwin Formosa

Nov 20th 2008, 22:22

""victim being punished for being a Labour supporter" ""leaks often cast doubt on innocent people "" ""Seeking a sacrificial victim to alienate the people "" All because Dr Gatt substantiated his charge

p.grima

Nov 20th 2008, 22:12

Where would we end up if managers and professionals start leaking all or any kind of sensitive information about anyone or anything to any Tom, Dick, and Harry?

jesmond zammit

Nov 20th 2008, 21:44

everyone is guilty except the minister

Charles.j.Schembri

Nov 20th 2008, 21:41

Austin Gatt should investigate himself and no one else................

Karl Borg Bartolo

Nov 20th 2008, 21:24

What is this?? It seems like someone wants us to forget the new tarriffs, the reduction in the price of oil (now below 50 USD). Why is the government picking upon his workers? Most probably this gentleman is a professional public sector employee who gives his full day at work.

For me this is a threat to all those public service officials who do not side with the government. It's a subtle warning. It's very intimidating.

lgalea

Nov 20th 2008, 20:42

Seeking a sacrificial victim to alienate the people from the BIG problems that both the Gonzipn Government and Malta are in.

mark tanti

Nov 20th 2008, 20:24

This is going to be more intersting than the MITTS case. Mr Camilleri, being enough old to remember the Mizbla days (shame on those who practised this immorality) I think that you also remember the Gordon Cordina case just few years ago. Mr Cordina was not passing confidential data to the NP but he was making public economic results.
I think you know what was the MLP reaction. This happened just two or three years ago and not during the mizbla days

Jeff Inguanez

Nov 20th 2008, 20:06

The Central Bank is not only autonomous of the government but also now forms part of the European System of Central Banks.

Its officials thus have sensitive data that sometimes not even the government has before it is published.

So, if - and only if - there was a leak to the Labour Party, as Minister Austin Gatt alleged in Parliament (ie that Labour had and actually used the HICP data before it was published) then this would have been highly irregular and very serious.

It's only right that such a serious matter be investigated by the Central Bank itself.

What Labour published had his name in its properties. This surely cannot be blamed on the government either.

Being a Labour supporter, as the investigated official is in this case, does not make him immune to investigation, as some comments here seem to expect.

I Abela

Nov 20th 2008, 19:27

Somebody is definately a big LIAR. Let's all hope the CB investigation is carried out seriously and transperantly so that we will all know who is the LIAR. Austin and Joseph are saying two different things and this is an opportunity for the public to know who is a liar. Politicians should stop playing rhetoric games and take the public for a ride, once and for all.

albert leone ganado

Nov 20th 2008, 19:23

Leaks cannot be condoned unless they inform of corrupt practises where whistleblowing is ethically justified.

Unfortunately leaks often cast doubt on innocent people for the clever person who wanst to leak information often does it in a way which creates suspicion on some unsuspecting colleague.

Maria Falzon

Nov 20th 2008, 19:10

Kind of strange that an investigation is held over a claim by Supremo Gatt, and no investigation takes place over the Mitts issue, and over the personal data being sought after by the PN general secretary. two weights, to measures.

J. Schembri

Nov 20th 2008, 19:05

The devil is in the detail a.dalli .I find it immoral if the data sent by the Central Bank is available to somebody to pick and choose and quote where it suits his political agenda.
People's loyalty should first be towards the entity they work with.
We are not talking about scandals here , we are talking about official information which is intended for specific purposes and is published AFTER it is crosschecked by the ECB .
This is not a whistle-blower, the person concerned should declare his "consultancy" interests , if they exist.

A Lawrence

Nov 20th 2008, 18:50

Patetika ! Witch hunt??

Peter Camilleri

Nov 20th 2008, 18:37

Another victim being punished for being a Labour supporter. Dr. Joseph Muscat please take care of your people and do not let them be bullied by arrogant Ministers. Where is the Church's voice today or is she an accomplish...after all it was she who buried our beloved in the MIZBLA. Joseph please do not let them trample on us!!

laurence schembri

Nov 20th 2008, 18:26

If we keep taking notice of what Austin says, we`ll be in dire straits.
The European Central Bank is open to all passed on information throughout the EU.
He is a friend and a good stirrer.

Noel Grima

Nov 20th 2008, 18:23

The data is not public and hence it would be an advantage to take possession of it before it is made public. In addition, the ECB only publishes a subset of the data. All people through which the data goes through are required by professional and sometimes contractual obligations to keep the data confidential. If there was a leak, there is absolutely no justification whatsoever.

a.dalli

Nov 20th 2008, 18:08

Once the data is to be sent to the European Central Bank - surely this cannot be of a confidential nature - unless the Malta Central Bank and or the Government has anything to hide, which could be hiding from European Central Bank or the Maltese in general.