A new system of promotions for members of the Armed Forces would make it harder to ‘game’ the system and promote people who didn’t deserve it, Home Affairs minister Carmelo Abela has claimed.

The minister said that the previous promotions system was “very subjective”, as soldiers were assessed and graded by their direct superiors, who gave them points in areas such as integrity, determination, confidence and initiative.

The new system allows soldiers applying for promotion to know how many points they have amassed in each criteria. It also introduces automatic promotions for soldiers who reach certain point targets, as well as introduces training courses for soldiers applying for promotions leading to significantly broader responsibilities.

Dr Abela argued that under the previous system, promotion was a matter of a mere point or two and applicants were kept in the dark about why their candidacy had failed. It was also unfair that foreign deployments counted towards promotion, when such deployments were out of soldiers’ hands, he said.

Dr Abela said that Central Command, the Office of the Ombudsman and Armed Forces board appointed to investigate alleged injustices had found 291 occasions when a soldier had been unfairly treated between 2009 and 2015.

The new promotions system came into force at the turn of the year. The system it replaced had been introduced in 2009.

In 2014 the Ombudsman had filed a judicial protest complaining that his office was being obstructed in its attempts to investigate AFM officer complaints. A judge had upheld his complaints and dismissed the objections presented by the Home Affairs minister of the time, Manuel Mallia. 

In February, the AFM issued a call for promotions in its highest ranks despite an ongoing court case following a similar exercise in 2013. None of the top six officers who led the army before the change in government remain.

The minister was replying to a parliamentary question made by Labour MP Etienne Grech.