PN seeks harsher penalties for offences against public officers

The Nationalist Party this morning presented two motions to the Speaker of the House.  

In the first motion the Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi proposed introducing harsher penalties for offences of vilification or bodily harm on public officers.

The other motion presented by Nationalist MPs Tonio Fenech and George Pullicino proposed amendments to the legal notice through which the government set up an independent appeals board for the new Delimara power station tendering process.

Speaking to the press following the presentation of the motions, PN deputy leader for party affairs Mario de Marco pointed out that "Parliament should not be limited to discussing laws presented by the government."

He said that the Opposition was taking the initiative by presenting Private Members Bills on various matters, including proposed amendments to the criminal code to increase the punishment of offences committed against public officers.

The Opposition's shadow minister for home affairs Jason Azzopardi, explained that offences against public officers, including police officers, teachers and medical professionals were increasing and the "PN wants to ensure that hard working and dedicated public officers are provided with the necessary protection."

The proposed changes to the criminal code would see penalties for anyone convicted of assaulting, resisting or vilifying a public officer increase from the current maximum of one year to two years, while persons guilty of assaulting public officers would have their maximum penalty increased to three years from the current two years.

The motion also proposes that the jail term for persons convicted of assaulting public officers with the use of a weapon should increase to between one year to four years from the current nine months to three years.

Azzopardi also proposed that persons found guilty of such offences should not be eligible to probation, conditional discharge, suspended sentence or a sentence less than the minimum.

He said this principle was already used in a number of criminal offences, including drug trafficking and evasion of duty among others. The MP said that courts would still be able to fine persons convicted of such crimes, however if the court decides to imprison the guilty persons, the jail sentences should be increased.

The amendments were originally proposed by the former home affairs minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici in the past legislature but were never approved by Parliament.

Explaining that the number of reported offences against public officers had increased from 117 in 2007 to 208 in 2011, Azzopardi said: "We should have a zero tolerance attitude in regards to assaults or vilification of public officers, especially police officers who are the main victims of such offences, and show our gratitude and esteem to officers who serve the country with integrity and sacrifice."

In a second motion, MPs Tonio Fenech and George Pullicino moved amendments to a legal notice which sets up an ad hoc appeals board for the power purchase and gas supply agreement.

The motion explains that the new independent board granted more powers to the board than the existing public procurement appeals board, to the extent of annulling the whole process and choose who to award the contract to..

The Opposition MPs explained that the proposed independent board would only offer a company appealing the adjudication reimbursement for the costs incurred in the expression of interest process.

This could possibly lead to a situation where an appeal is upheld and the bidder would be reimbursed his costs, but the outcome of the tender process remains unchanged.

The motion proposed that the new independent board should be disbanded and any appeals should be referred to the already-established, public procurement regulations appeals board.

PN deputy leader Mario de Marco explained that the Opposition was against "setting up a new appeals board when a tried and tested board already exists."

He added that there was no need to "reinvent the wheel," and while noting that the Opposition understood the urgency of the project, "the national interest should not override good governance."