Lion's share of complaints to Ombudsman came from army

Over a quarter of complaints received by the Ombudsman last year were related to the army.

According to the Ombudsman's Annual Report, presented to Speaker Louis Galea yesterday morning, 164 of 660 cases concerned the Armed Forces of Malta, 44 to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and 36 to the Malta Transport Authority.

The majority of complaints regarding the army referred to a long-overdue promotions exercise that took place after five years.

As for those related to Mepa, the Ombudsman said some of the investigations conducted had implications that affected a relatively large number of citizens in a number of localities, especially the southern region.

Complaints about the ADT were meanwhile centred on issues relating to the vehicle registration tax, parking and allegations of arbitrary treatment, including unfair regulations and requests for compensation for damage suffered by car owners.

The report further states that of the 146 cases investigated last year, 37 were sustained.