Opposition MPs have been fined €1,550 for unjustified absences from Parliament after missing 31 sittings, statistics provided by the Clerk of the House show.
Former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil and former Democratic Party leader Marlene Farrugia led the way, having been fined €200 each for missing four parliamentary sittings apiece.
Their absenteeism accounted for just over a quarter of all sessions missed by Opposition MPs.
New rules approved in 2016 saw MPs being fined €50 for each unjustified absence from parliamentary sittings.
Read: MPs rack up €4,600 in fines for missing parliamentary sittings
MPs receive an annual honorarium of just over €20,000, which is not linked to their attendance in Parliament.
Nationalist MPs Robert Arrigo, Jason Azzopardi, Claudio Grech and Chris Said missed three sittings each, resulting in fines totalling €600. Their fellow MPs Toni Bezzina, Beppe Fenech Adami, Karl Gouder and Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici were fined €400 in total, each missing two sittings.
Robert Cutajar, Mario de Marco and Kristy Debono missed one sitting each without justification.
MPs sitting on the government benches were fined a total of €700 for missing 14 parliamentary sittings without justification.
On the government benches, former Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis took a ‘holiday’ from Parliament on four occasions over seven months.
Simon Busuttil and Marlene Farrugia were both fined €200 for four sessions
Labour MPs Chris Cardona and Silvio Schembri both missed two sessions each.
Robert Abela, Aaron Farrugia, José Herrera, Konrad Mizzi, Silvio Parnis and Edward Scicluna missed one session.
Unlike when the statistics for the previous legislature were given to this paper last year, this time round Parliament refused to provide a breakdown of which MPs had yet to pay their fines.
The Clerk of the House told The Sunday Times of Malta that none of the MPs had exceeded the six-month period during which they may pay any fines. Parliament can initiate court proceedings against MPs who fail to pay their dues within this six-month period.
The money raised from the fines is deposited into an account used for the better administration of Parliament.
The data provided to this newspaper is current from June 24, 2017 to January 30, 2018.
Government top 3
1. Edward Zammit Lewis – €200 fine for four missed sittings
2. Chris Cardona, Silvio Schembri – €100 fine (each) for missing two sittings
3. Robert Abela, Aaron Farrugia, José Herrera, Konrad Mizzi, Silvio Parnis and Edward Scicluna – €50 fine (each) for missing a sitting
Total government fines: €700
Opposition top 3
1. Simon Busuttil and Marlene Farrugia – €200 fine (each) for four missed sittings
2. Robert Arrigo, Jason Azzopardi, Claudio Grech, Chris Said – €150 (each) for three missed sittings
3. Toni Bezzina, Beppe Fenech Adami, Karl Gouder, Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici – €100 fine (each) for two missed sittings
Total Opposition fines: €1,550
When is absence justified?
MPs away for parliamentary, government or official party business.
MPs who are sick or subject to an “extraordinary circumstance” shall be excused upon providing evidence to the Speaker.
When are the fines applied?
An MP is fined €50 for unjustified absence from a parliamentary day.
This means that if an MP is absent from a parliamentary sitting but attends a committee meeting, the fine is not applied.
The same applies for those days that Parliament meets on multiple occasions.