[attach id=434648 size="medium"]The reply that the Justice Ministry sent to Times of Malta, clearly indicating the date when the PQ is to be answered.[/attach]

Justice Minister Owen Bonnici scolded Times of Malta yesterday for not taking any notice of a reply he said he had given in Parliament over a month ago regarding his top Whistleblower Act official.

However, when this newspaper checked the facts, it turned out the minister was referring to a reply he is scheduled to give in Parliament in two weeks’ time.

Following information that Godwin Pulis, a retired civil servant whom Dr Bonnici employed to coordinate the Whistleblower Act Unit, had stopped working at the ministry, Times of Malta sent a series of questions to the minister about the matter.

Instead of replying to the questions, Dr Bonnici’s spokesman said this newspaper should know the information had been made public by the minister.

“The minister has already provided answers on the matter through a parliamentary question a month ago which asked the same questions. You might wish to refer to the relevant PQ (right),” the spokesman said, attaching a copy of the parliamentary question.

However, following research by Times of Malta, it seems that Dr Bonnici did not yet know that his draft reply had not been tabled in Parliament and is not scheduled to be until July 1.