Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia insisted once more today that the Ombudsman should not investigate complaints by members of the AFM because of a conflict with the Armed Forces of Malta Act.
Replying to media questions, Dr Mallia said he was in favour of uniformity. In the past, the Office of the Ombudsman had already taken a position on this issue, saying it had no jurisdiction in terms of the law. It was a position, Dr Mallia said, with which he agreed.
The government respected the Ombudsman, but the whole issue had to be seen in terms of the law.
It seemed that the Ombudsman had had a change of heart, indicating that the original position was a mistake by an official in his Office. However that position had been signed by the Ombudsman, Dr Mallia said.
The Ombudsman last Monday disputed Dr Mallia's argument, first expressed in Parliament, and said he would continue to hear cases.
MINISTER SHOWING HE HAS SOMETHING TO HIDE - PN SPOKESMAN
PN spokesman Jason Azzopardi said in a reaction it was shameful of the minister to continue to try to dissuade the Ombudsman from carrying out his duty to investigate the injustices in the army promotions which the minister gave to people from the inner circle.
The injustices came in spite of the Prime Minister’s promises that such things would not take place.
Dr Azzopardi said that if proof was ever needed that the government had something to hide, he had given it today.
Everyone was now seeing that the government was drowning in arrogance to the detriment of transparency, accountability and the common good, he said.