I note that my former boss, Ombudsman Joseph Said Pullicino, again grabbed media headlines through his extracurricular statements rather than by any concern for citizens’ woes vis-à-vis the public service or by any sustained interest in the citizens’ right to good administration.

Writing open letters about a judge is not, however, the Ombudsman’s only sideline since serving as an arbitrator also apparently tickles his fancy. But even this side activity seems to have landed him in the soup... although apparently not quite so!

Way back on November 6, 2012, then Speaker Michael Frendo, in a letter to the Ombudsman that appeared on the website of the House of Representatives, expressly told him to desist from serving as an arbitrator while holding the office of Ombudsman.

In a reply to a parliamentary question by Labour MP Carmelo Abela only a few days ago, however, the Ombudsman admitted that, despite this ban, he still carried on with his arbitration in no fewer than four cases on the grounds that he had virtually gathered all the evidence.

He went on to admit that, of these, two are still pending eight months later although he was magnanimous enough to declare that he had not relinquished these cases because of his genuine wish not to prejudice the interests of the parties concerned.