Standards Commissioner will not investigate PAC Committee MPs who blocked Johan Grech’s testimony

Standards Commissioner Judge Joseph Azzopardi has decided he will not investigate PAC Committee MPs who blocked Johan Grech’s testimony.

This for two reasons.

First, because any investigation on MPs has to be carried by the Parliament speaker.

Secondly, because the commissioner believes that ” kull deputat għandu d-dritt u d-dmir li jivvota fil-Parlament jew f’kumitat parlamentari kif jidhirlu li hu xieraq, u li deputat m’għandux jinstab li kiser l-etika sempliċiment minħabba kif jivvota”.

Momentum Chair, Arnold Cassola, commented: “Yesterday we got to know that MPs are free to lie. Today, we get to know that MPs are free to vote as they deem, even if they are obstructing the quest for justice and truth. We wonder if there is any other such parliament in democratic Europe where MPPs are allowed to behave this way”.

Arnold Cassola 

Momentum 

Attached: Commissioner decision

—— Forwarded message ———

From: Charles Polidano – Office of the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life 
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2025 at 11:54
Subject: RE: Talba Investigazzjoni Kummissarju tal-Istandards dwar Membri tal-AC
To: Arnold Cassola

Prof. Cassola

Nirreferi għall-messaġġi tiegħek tat-30 u l-31 ta’ Ottubru 2025 (riprodotti taħt) lill-Kummissarju għall-Istandards fil-Ħajja Pubblika.

Qed nibgħatlek id-deċiżjoni tal-Kummissarju dwar l-ilment tiegħek.

Insellimlek,

Charles Polidano

From: Arnold Cassola
Sent: Friday, 31 October 2025 10:24
To: Charles Polidano – Office of the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life
Subject: Re: Talba Investigazzjoni Kummissarju tal-Istandards dwar Membri tal-AC

Għażiż Kummissarju Azzopardi 

Ghadu kemm hareg issa li fl-ahhar seduta tal-PAC l-On Bedingfield kien sostitwit mill-On. Naomi Cachia.

Nitolbok ghalhekk li tezonera lill-On Bedingfield mill-investigazzjoni u tissostitwih bl-On. Cachia.

Nirringrazzjak u nselli ghalik.

Arnold Cassola 

On Thu, 30 Oct 2025, 17:15 Arnold Cassola, <[email protected]> wrote:

Għażiż Kummissarju Azzopardi,

Qiegħed nirrapporta lill-membri tal-PAC, l-Onorevoli Glenn Bedingfield, Alex Muscat, Amanda Spiteri Grech u Ramona Attard, għall-imġiba tagħhom fl-aħħar seduta tal-PAC fil-Parlament.

Bil-vot tagħhom fil-Kumitat huma assiguraw li l-poplu Malti ma jkollux rendikont ta’ 7 miljun ewro mill-flus tat-taxxi tal-poplu li ntefqu mill-Kummissarju tal-Films, mingħajr riċevuti u dokumentazzjoni oħra.

In-NAO kien ġa ġibed l-attenzjoni dwar il-mismanagement ta’ dawn il-flus.

Skont Baldacchino-Bartolo-Grima 2017, “In Malta, the PAC is mandated to examine and inquire into reports, accounts, and related matters as referred to it by the Auditor General, a Minister, or the House of Representatives (HoR). The Committee is also empowered to demand the Auditor General to undertake and issue memoranda as requested by three members of the Committee, as well as to report to Parliament, among other roles (Standing Orders, SOs, of the HoR: Art. 120E). Moreover, the enactment of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (Cap.534) in 2014 has broadened the PAC’s remit to incorporate the operations of the Fiscal Council”.

F’dan il-każ speċifiku, l-erba’ Onorevoli msemmija użaw il-pożizzjoni u l-vot tagħhom biex ma jippermettux l-“examination” u l-“Inquiry” fl-accounts dubjużi,  u sa issa misterjużi, li ma ġew qatt ippreżentati mill-Malta Film Commission.

Minflok ma qdew dmirhom skont il-ġurament parlamentari tagħhom biex ikun hemm trasparenza dwar dawn il-7 miljun ewro tal-poplu, servew ta’ forċina għal individwu wieħed, l-Kummissarju tal-films, biex dan ikun jista’ iżomm mistur mill-poplu Malti kif nefaq 7 miljun ewro.

Nitolbok għalhekk tinvestiga dan il-ksur ta’ etika gravi u sfaċċat.

Inselli għalik,

Prof. Arnold Cassola

Momentum

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