Cases related to the smart meter scandal were among 48 reports lodged with the Justice Ministry following the introduction of the Whistleblower Act 12 months ago.

However, this is not the entire picture, as it excludes cases filed with other ministries, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici told a half-day seminar marking the first year since the law’s introduction.

Under the Whistleblower Act, employees coming forward to flag improper behaviour, irregularities, or even cases of corruption, would not have their identity disclosed. They could also benefit from a reduced sentence in case they committed any wrongdoing themselves.

This law, together with the removal of time barring on corruption cases involving politicians, as well as the law on party financing which is being debated in Parliament, are testament to the government’s resolve to promote good governance, the minister said.

Dr Bonnici remarked that the most serious cases flagged so far were those related to the tampering of some 1,000 utility meters by Enemalta employees, which had been revealed by the Energy Ministry in February.

In the wake of this announcement, Enemalta employees contacted the ministry to lodge a report under the Whistleblower Act, the minister said.

Commenting on the rest of the cases, the justice minister said a significant number of them could not be followed up as the law only applied to people still working in the private and public sectors.

As a result, whistleblowers who were retired or out of work feared a backlash and did not take their complaints to the police.

Reacting to suggestions made from the floor, Dr Bonnici said the government would be looking into possible changes, so all citizens would have the right to be treated as whistleblowers.

Another proposal was to set up a centralised unit that would handle all cases, as it was felt the current set up was too fragmented.

The minister could not provide this newspaper with the overall number of cases filed under the Act. He noted that the ministry did not track cases lodged elsewhere, but said it would provide further information if sent questions.

Opposition spokesman Jason Azzopardi, who was also on the panel, proposed to extend the law for members of disciplined forces such as the army and the police.