Updated at 3.30pm with Home Affairs Ministry's reply
A third of the Armed Forces personnel have moved up a rank in what is being described as an unprecedented promotion exercise at election time, Times of Malta has learnt.
A total of 403 promotions had been handed out across the board, mainly to Labour sympathisers, according to army sources who spoke to the Times of Malta on the condition of anonymity.
The maritime squadron was the most affected, with 91 officers promoted, followed by the First Regiment with 90, while a further 58 promotions were handed out to officers stationed within the Third Regiment.
In the Fourth Regiment, 56 officers moved up a rank, while in the Air Wing section, 23 promotions were given. A further 55 officers stationed at Luqa headquarters benefitted, while there were 30 backdated promotions awarded on the recommendation of the injustices board. The promotions are backdated to January 1.
Sources said the massive promotion exercise was carried out on the strength of a controversial new policy introduced at the start of this legislature
Though questions sent to the Home Affairs Ministry had not been replied, sources said the massive promotion exercise was carried out on the strength of a controversial new policy introduced at the start of this legislature.
The promotions are expected to fuel the Opposition’s accusations that the government is using its power of incumbency to gain votes ahead of the June 3 election. Principal Permanent Secretary Mario Cutajar this week rejected similar claims made in the wake of other promotions in the civil service.
The government is insisting that it is following the same procedure adopted before the last general election when recruitment was frozen and only promotions initiated before the election announcement forged ahead.
Complaints on promotions in the army cropped up at the very start of this legislature when the Opposition accused the government of a "takeover". The accusations were levelled in the wake of the controversial promotions of four majors, who moved up a rank twice in the space of a fortnight.
They included explosives expert Jeffrey Curmi, who in a matter of weeks was appointed Armed Forces commander.
Though aggrieved officers sought redress from the Ombudsman, they were forced to go to court, as the Home Affairs Minister refused to collaborate with the probe. The issue was only resolved last year, when the court decided in the officers’ favour.
Yesterday’s promotions follow the salary top-ups of about €10,000 a year recently given to top army brass and senior police officers. In the latter case, officers from the rank of assistant commissioners upwards benefitted from a 25 per cent pay rise.
These top-ups were justified by the government as part of a revision bringing high-ranking army and police officers to the same level as directors general in the civil service.
“In such manner, we are addressing existing anomalies, in line with the Labour Party manifesto,” Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said.
Home Affairs Ministry's reply
In a reply this afternoon, the ministry said the promotions were a regular annual exercise.
Promotions of regular soldiers, it said, were regulated by ‘The Armed Forces of Malta Soldier’s Career Handbook’, which states that the exercise was to be held annually, with a cut-off date of December 31 of each year.
The proper exercise would ensue in the following weeks.
It said the exercise was an ongoing exercise which started in October last year and was only concluded recently.