The Opposition has lashed out at the government for “undermining” the Ombudsman, hindering his office from carrying out its duty by not giving redress to aggrieved parties, most notably in the army.

PN spokesman Jason Azzopardi referred to the annual report tabled in Parliament last October by Ombudsman Joseph Said Pullicino, in which he lamented that the government was not forthcoming when asked to hand over a number of files related to complaints from army members.

The issue has been dragging on for months and the Ombudsman has already hinted that the only solution was to take the government to court.

The PN spokesman also refuted claims made by the Prime Minister that, in the past, PN governments ignored the Ombudsman’s recommendations on several occasions.

Dr Azzopardi noted that, in 2011, the Ombudsman had lauded the PN administration for taking his recommendations on board regarding a similar dispute involving members of the army.

The news conference was also addressed by PN MPs Ryan Callus and Claudette Buttigieg who said that the government’s attitude towards this institution was conveying the message seeking redress through the Ombudsman would be futile.