Ombudsman reiterates call for constitutional protection

Former chief justice Joseph Said Pullicino has reiterated the call for the Office of the Ombudsman to be protected by the Constitution.

In the Ombudsplan 2016 presented to Speaker Anglu Farrugia, Said Pullicino said that the Ombudsman should enjoy the same protection as that enjoyed by the Auditor General.

Although the role of the Office of the Ombusdman is recognised by the Constitution, there are no provisions that safeguard it. The term of the Ombudsman and relative guarantees are not listed in the Constitution, although the Office enjoys protection through ordinary law.

The same, he said, should apply for constitutional provisions that guarantee the necessary funds and conditions of services provided on par with a judge of the superior court.

“These discrepancies should be addressed to ensure the Ombudsman enjoys full protection,” Said Pullicino said, adding that, in practice, there never were any problems with the different administrations.

He suggested that an Ombudsman should be appointed for a seven-to-nine year term.

In his 92-page document, the Ombudsman also flagged a number of issues arising from the grievances boards and other internal boards.

Investigations carried out by his Office uncovered a number of instances that put into question the transparency and the certainty that such boards were following rules and procedure.

It transpires that the boards were not given precise directives on which criteria to use in their judgement which would ensure that the complainant had truly suffered an injustice.