Government awaiting Opposition nomination for Anti-Corruption Commission

The government has said that it is still awaiting a nomination from the Opposition to constitute the Permanent Commission Against Corruption.

The Times of Malta today reported that the Permanent Commission Against Corruption had not conducted any investigations for the past six months as no new members had been appointed.

The Commission is made up of a chairperson and two members who are chosen by the President of Malta, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister and the leader of the Opposition.

At the moment, only chairperson Judge Lawrence Quintano stands, while the two other posts have been vacant since the middle of the year.

The government said in a statement that the post occupied by lawyer Yana Micallef Stafrace became vacant after she was appointed as magistrate on 25 April 2017, and the other opened when former magistrate Joe Cassar passed away in the beginning of May.

The government said said that lawyer Philip M. Magri was appointed on 27 April 2017 and that it was now waiting for the Opposition to appoint a candidate. "After Adrian Delia became the head of Opposition, the Prime Minister asked him to nominate someone so that the Commission can resume.The Opposition had not yet nominated anyone."

The Times said that its source had said the government which is not taking action. "Still, now that a new leader of the Opposition has been in office for quite a while, it still seems the Prime Minister is not in a hurry to make sure the anti-corruption commission can continue doing its duty,” the newspaper reported,