In the wake of the Ombudsman’s recently-forged alliance with Times of Malta, we are now regularly regaled with accounts of his endeavours and exploits.

In a recent report, readers were informed that the Ombudsman was not insensitive to a complaint by an expatriate family about its utility charges by ARMS Limited. Readers were assured that this grievance did not fall on deaf ears and the Office of the Ombudsman confirmed that the case is under investigation.

The expatriate family must consider itself quite lucky.

A few summers ago, as thousands of Maltese families sweltered under the appalling treatment that was being extended to them by ARMS Ltd, Ombudsman Joseph Said Pullicino chose to block his ears and found nothing wrong.

Despite suggestions, even within his own office, that he should take up the cudgels on behalf of Maltese consumers, he chose instead to sit on the fence. To add insult to injury, he later told the House Business Committee that he had not lifted a finger because no written complaint had reached his desk, conveniently forgetting the right given to him by law to carry out own-initiative investigations.

Nonetheless, it is nice to know that after virtually hibernating for some eight years, the Ombudsman is now starting to flutterhis wings.

Editor’s note: Has Michael Sant also forged an alliance with us because he is able to express his views in the newspaper?