Discussions are underway between the Home Affairs Ministry and the Ombudsman with a view to amending the law regulating army promotions.

Replying to a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi, Minister Manuel Mallia said that valid points were raised by the two sides during discussions.

Asked for a timeframe, he said that the matter would surely not take years as used to be the case under the previous administration.

In a judicial protest filed in June, the Ombudsman said he failed to understand why the Home Affairs Minister seemed to be refusing to cooperate in his search for the truth about army promotions and was creating obstacles in every way.

In a reply, Dr Mallia insisted that while he respected the Ombudsman as a Constitutional office, he could not be expected to go outside the parameters of the law.

Dr Mallia argued that the law precluded the Ombudsman from investigating complaints by Armed Forces of Malta officials before these would have exhausted all other avenues to seek redress.