GRECO: Malta not in sufficient compliance with anti-corruption recommendations

Malta has only implemented satisfactorily or dealt with in a satisfactory manner four of the 23 recommendations by the Council of Europe’s Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO), an anti-corruption monitoring board.

GRECO’s fifth evaluation of Malta dealt with preventing corruption and promoting integrity in central governments (top executive functions) and law enforcement agencies.

The report states persons entrusted with top executive functions (PTEFs), only a modest progress has been made. “The process of transferring the prosecuting function from the Police to the Attorney General continues through several stages, but it has not been completed yet. No developments have occurred as regards developing an integrity strategy in respect of persons in top executive functions, which is regrettable,” the repot reads.

It said the two-year project entitled “Improving the Integrity and Transparency Framework in Malta” launched at the request of the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life and implemented by the OECD since 2021 is expected to generate concrete new initiatives in several areas, such as dissociating the advisory and enforcement functions of the Commissioner, the rules on interaction with lobbyists, effective and proactive checks of asset and interest declarations, and introducing the possibility for the Commissioner to impose proportionate, effective and dissuasive sanctions for violations of integrity rules.

“However, no new measures have been taken in these areas since the previous Compliance Report,” it said.

On a positive note, the authorities continued strengthening the capacity of the competent bodies responsible for integrity oversight, and legislation setting out a framework for managing conflicts of interest and side activities has been adopted, “which is to be welcomed.”

On law enforcement authorities, the GRECO report states that progress has been made in increasing public trust in the police, but no new measures have been reported as regards fostering of merit-based career systems, operational independence and political neutrality, and gender balance in the Police Force.

“No progress has been achieved as regards the applicability of objective, fair and transparent criteria in the Police Force, currently limited to initial recruitments and horizontal movements only, thus excluding promotions from its scope. Finally, explicit and strict criteria for the exercise of parallel activities in the Police Force, and more effective protection measures for police officers reporting corruption, in particular, against retaliation, are yet to be introduced,” the report conclusions read.