The parliamentary pension paid to Judge Philip Sciberras, a former MP, was regular and justified, the National Audit Office (NAO) said.
The NAO was requested to examine the pension paid to Judge Sciberras by the chairman of Alternattiva Demokratika, who was concerned about reports that he had been given a parliamentary pension despite objections by the Treasury Department.
AD was preoccupied about the alleged interference within the department in the processing of the application.
In a report submitted to the Speaker and laid on the table of the House, the NAO said it sought to establish whether any political interference conditioned the outcome of the pension paid and to ascertain that the public funds disbursed were due.
It concluded that the pension was “regular and justified”.
The former MP was first elected to Parliament in 1979 through a by-election and served from July 20, 1979 to November 9, 1981. He was subsequently re-elected in the 1981 election and served from December 18, 1981 to February 13, 1987.
The Members of Parliament Pensions Act stipulates that the period in between legislatures is to be reckoned for pension purposes once an MP is elected to Parliament in the following general election.
The NAO established that there was no condition at law that precluded, for pension purposes, the time served by an MP elected through a by-election.
Having reviewed all documentation made available, including the advice of the Attorney General, the NAO agreed with the advice provided, that the whole period served by the former MP was to be reckoned as pensionable.
The office said it verified payments made to the former MP in respect of the parliamentary pension and confirmed that all payments made were regular. The pension received in arrears was due, accruing from 2006 when the former MP reached the age of 61.
With regard to the alleged political interference, the NAO did not identify any inconsistency in the treatment of this case or external pressure that could be construed as political interference. The secretary of the Association of Former Members of Parliament addressed all correspondence to the relevant authorities in efforts to assist the former MP in resolving the matter.