Ombudsman Joseph Said Pullicino has written Speaker Anġlu Farrugia (see letter in pdf link below) to register his disapproval and disappointment at what he described were unfair and unjustified attacks against the institution he represented in l-Orizzont and elsewhere.

The attacks, he said, were not just against one of his staff members but also against a commissioner and employees from his office who were there to serve the people.

Similar attacks, he said, were directed at the office of the Auditor General, and a Parliamentary official.

Chief Justice Emeritus Said Pullicino was referring to a series of articles in the newspaper describing employee research and communications officer Jurgen Cassar as a “spy” for columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The Ombudsman said he believed in freedom of expression and free press and accepted scrutiny without reservations. He also welcomed constructive criticism, even if this was harsh, as long as it was based on facts.

However, he strongly objected to allegations of partiality, political partisanship, personal vendettas or other ulteriour motives as these were only intended to undermined the institution he represented and dampen the democratic process.

The Ombudsman also issued a statement based on questions sent by l-Orizzont to his office. He said he felt the questions, and the story which appeared in yesterday’s edition of the paper, were a continuation of a negative campaign aimed at undermining his office.

He said that in the past 10 years, no one in his office had been employed on a position of trust. All appointments were in line with the Constitution and followed an open, competitive and transparent process.

In 2006, he said, the Office of the Prime Minister had explicitly informed the Employment and Training Corporation that because of the independent status of the office and its powers according to law, the recruitment of employees at his office should not be subject to Management and Personnel Office approval.

All vacancies at his office, whatever the grade, were advertised in local newspapers and those who applied were subject to scrutiny by a selection board which recommended the best candidates.

The Ombudsman said he did not understand the reason behind the campaign on the appointment of people in positions of trust with the government and public authorities.

It was public knowledge that the Ombudsman was concluding an opinion on the subject shortly, an opinion he hoped could contribute to a debate on a matter of great public interest which had to be defined to ensure good public administration in line with the Constitution, he said.