Business lobby wants MPs' asset declarations disclosed to the public

The Malta Chamber wants MPs’ asset declarations made available to the public, with MPs who fail to present their declarations ‘named and shamed’ by the Commissioner for Standards.

In a report titled ‘A Strong Transparency, Accountability and Ethical Governance Framework for Members of Parliament’, the business lobby group makes several recommendations to strengthen the system of public scrutiny and oversight of Malta’s parliamentarians.

The Malta Chamber at the launch of its report

The report makes reference to MPs’ declaration of assets, and states that the asset disclosure reports are inconsistent and sub-standard to global standards.

To bolster the asset declaration process and promote transparency, the Chamber recommends placing the declarations in the public domain, with MPs’ income tax submissions attached wtih it. Currently, asset declarations can only be accessed by journalists.  

In addition, the Chamber suggests that family members should have to disclose their assets to the Standards Commissioner, but these disclosure forms should not be in the public domain.

Their asset declarations would only be published when there’s a scandal with genuine proof of misconduct.

Key recommendations from the report

• Backbenchers should not be given consultant or adivsor positions in government ministries, nor appointed chairpersonships in government entities.
• MPs should not take on a legal role in tender or concession processes
• A broad definition of ‘lobbying’ and ‘lobbyist’ should be introduced, with the minutes of lobby meetings should be in the public domain.
• A definition of ‘misconduct’ should be introduced at law
• Reports by the Standards Commissioner must be placed in the public domain, with no exceptions
• Elected MPs should be given training on ethics and ethical norms, with refresher training given every year

The report was launched on Thursday afternoon by the Chamber's thematic committee on governance. The committee is chaired by David Spiteri Gingell. 

This report is the first of a series of four working papers on Malta's political system. The other papers will relate to the size of paliament, political party financing, and Malta's Parliamentarians in 2020 and beyond. 

Read the full report below