Institutions must encourage the fight against corruption, not shy away from it \u2013 Repubblika<\/p>\n
Repubblika has stressed the need for institutions to encourage the fight against corruption.<\/p>\n
Recent comments in a report by the Permanent Commission Against Corruption (PCAC) suggest that it would be better if reports submitted to it were written by lawyers specialised in criminal law and already included sufficient evidence to secure a conviction in court, Repubblika said.<\/p>\n
“This attitude reflects a profound problem in the fight against corruption that Malta is supposedly waging. It is significant that we read this comment from the PCAC in the same week in which its failure was confirmed by statistics showing that Malta suffers from the perception of being among the most corruption-ridden countries in the European Union.”<\/p>\n
“We wish to be clear. The members of the PCAC themselves are not to blame. Their function is defined by law, not by any choice of their own, and the extremely limited resources available to them are allocated by government decision. Responsibility therefore lies with the system, not with the individuals who operate it.”<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the results of the system speak for themselves, Repubblika said. “In the 35 years of its existence, the PCAC has effectively led to just one prosecution – and that occurred because the person concerned requested a bribe in writing. It is not reasonable to interpret this paltry statistic as proof that Malta is free from the stain of corruption. Rather, it is proof that our institutions lack the structural capacity to detect, investigate, and prosecute corruption.”<\/p>\n
Repubblika said that in a functioning democracy, anti-corruption bodies do not raise procedural obstacles for citizens. “They lower them. They encourage people to report, protect whistleblowers, and actively and diligently educate the public about how corruption works and what must be done to help stop it. The suggestion that, to receive attention, complaints from the public must be drafted with legal expertise and be fully equipped with all the evidence needed to go to court without the PCAC having to do half a day’s work on them, silences the very people whom institutions should be empowering to speak out.”<\/p>\n
“Malta requires institutional reform against corruption based on international best practices,” it said. It mentioned the need for a specialised anti-corruption institution, “independent of government, with the powers and resources to investigate effectively and to take prosecution decisions carried out by specialised prosecutors, shielded from political interference or direction.”<\/p>\n
It also called for strong protection for whistleblowers, confidential reporting channels, protection from the moment the first report is made so that witnesses do not suffer retaliation, and accessible procedures that require no legal training.<\/p>\n
It also highlighted the need for systematic verification of declarations of income and assets, conflicts of interest, and unexplained wealth of public officials. It called for full transparency and real-time oversight (not only after the fact) of public procurement and concession contracts.<\/p>\n
It called for an obligation on institutions to undertake public education initiatives and to encourage citizens to report any suspicion of corruption they may have, and Parliamentary oversight based on measurable results rather than the formal activity reports (or lack thereof).<\/p>\n
“The fight against corruption is not an administrative activity that can be carried out passively by waiting for evidence to arrive neatly filed and tied with a ribbon in the post. We need institutions built to uncover wrongdoing, not to find excuses for being the only ones who fail to see it. Maltese citizens should not have to hire a lawyer simply to speak to the institutions of the country that are supposed to be there to protect them. The message institutions must send should be simple and clear: if you suspect corruption, speak out – we will protect you and we will take action.”<\/p>\n
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