Joseph Muscat is proposing to lift the time-bar on corruption cases involving politicians if the Labour Party is in government.

MPs will be paid according to the number of parliamentary sittings they attend

The Labour leader started the second week of the campaign yesterday at the Palace courtyard in Valletta, with a series of proposals targeting good governance.

Accompanied by his deputy leader Louis Grech, Dr Muscat said politicians involved in corruption will no longer be comforted by the law.

He said the party had legal advice that removing the time-bar could not be applied retroactively.

“It will be us, elected in the next legislature who will be held accountable for our actions with no time limit on when criminal action could be taken,” he said, adding this was a measure that increased the checks and balances on politicians and their behaviour.

A Labour government will also introduce a law to protect whistleblowers. It will be “substantially” different from the law that was proposed by the Government during the last legislature, Dr Muscat added.

“The law will apply retroactively as opposed to the Government proposal that applied from the day the law would have come into effect,” he said.

The Labour proposal will also give whistleblowers immunity, something that was not guaranteed under the previous Government proposal.

Dr Muscat said the “debacle” of the honoraria increase for ­­Government ministers had cast a long shadow on all MPs and insisted that credibility had to be regained.

MPs will be paid according to the number of parliamentary sittings they attended, he said, with exceptions when MPs were sick, abroad on parliamentary and government work or have a valid reason to be excused.

The attendance sheets for MPs would be made available online for public scrutiny.

Dr Muscat reiterated that although a commission will be set up to analyse the pay packets of politicians, there will be no increases for ministers and MPs in the next legislature.

A parliamentary commissioner for standards will also be appointed to scrutinise MPs’ ethical behaviour, including their declaration of assets.

Asked about the recommendations made by Speaker Michael Frendo to set up a parliamentary economic affairs committee and a petitions committee, Dr Muscat said that Labour is prepared to take up these suggestions.

A Labour government will also introduce a code of ethics for ­chairmen of public entities.

Later in the day, Dr Muscat held another press conference outside the Auditor General’s office in Floriana, where he said a Labour government would increase the office’s resources and powers.

The additional executive powers would allow the Auditor General to better investigate cases where witnesses were not cooperating and also open past cases.

There will be no increases for ministers in the next legislature

Every year, after the Auditor General presented his annual report and recommendations, the Government would reply in a formal report.

This report would include the reaction and replies of the Government as well as time frames on when it would adopt the recommendations.

This would ensure more accountability across the board and ensure taxpayers got more value for money and peace of mind, he said.

Additional reporting by Claudia Calleja.