Updated at 3.35pm with video

Justice Minister Owen Bonnici on Monday fended off concerns raised by the Group of States against Corruption (Greco) about Malta’s justice system facing paralysis unless reforms were undertaken.

Dr Bonnici said the government had consented to the publication of the Greco anti-corruption report this morning. The report was approved recently following a scheduled evaluation visit to Malta last October, but its publication had to be authorised by the government.

The Sunday Times of Malta reported how evaluators from the Council of Europe said it was clear Malta needed to increase its capacity to deal with allegations of corruption and other offences involving government officials.

The lack of action against top officials facing corruption allegations conveyed a feeling in the public that senior officials benefit from a total impunity for their actions, Greco said in its report.

Asked to react to these strong findings, Dr Bonnici said the crux of the Greco criticism was about “legacy laws” that the government was intent on changing.

When it was pointed out that the Labour government had been in power for six years and the Greco report was critical about the authorities handling of recent high-level corruption cases, Dr Bonnici countered that a raft of changes had already been introduced, such as whistleblower protection and party financing laws.

The report says Greco officials who carried out a visit to Malta last October were too often confronted with a culture of secrecy of many institutions, where reports, recommendations and conclusions are not published.

“This is not compatible with an effective system of checks and balance. This situation calls for rapid changes,” Greco highlights.

Greco’s evaluation team said they heard how institutions meant to hold the government to account suffered from a lack of courage, accountability and real means to accomplish their duties.

Dr Bonnici said many changes had already been introduced. Photo: DOI/Clodagh Farrugia O'Neill

In a statement on Monday, the Justice Ministry said Greco’s recommendations dealt mainly with systems and laws that Malta had for generations, some of them pre-dating Malta’s independence in 1964.

“There are, in fact, no recommendations that in a way criticise any laws implemented by this government," the government said in a statement. 

It said the recommendations were on the same lines as the Venice Commission opinion, given last December, the contents of which, it said, were already being implemented.

“The Greco report also acknowledges that some changes have already been affected since the Greco delegation’s visit to Malta, and which are not included in the report,” the government said.