Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1532462
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 FEBRUARY 2025 4 INTERVIEW Joseph Zammit McKeon: 'I want to build bridges in my time as Ombudsman' Ombudsman Judge Emeritus Jo- seph Zammit McKeon wants his tenure to be remembered as one in which his office, built bridges with the country's different institutions. "Even when I'm criticised, I be- lieve that every cloud has its silver lining, and I try to practice that be- lief. This is an office where a lot of good can and is done, and that is why I try to avoid controversy," he tells me. The Ombudsman sits down with me a few weeks after his report on the Corradino Correctional Facili- ty (CCF) under the administration of retired army colonel Alex Dalli raised serious human rights con- cerns. "My job is to look for what is right, for justice; work within the confines of the law, and make the recommendations. The implemen- tation is in other people's hands," he tells me. Zammit McKeon also defends his report after Prime Minister Robert Abela told journalists it is easy for one to write a report while "sitting behind a desk" and not experienc- ing the situation from inside the prison. "I respect the Prime Minister as a person, and I respect his role, but with all due respect, I cannot agree with him. That investigation was carried out meticulously," Zammit McKeon says. "The testimonies of everyone were heard, including the highest roles in the prison." He also points out that testimo- nies were also taken at the CCF. "Therefore, we know exactly what happened in prison." The Ombudsman also insists that an investigator from his Office vis- its the facility at least once every two weeks. I ask him why his Office does not recommend criminal action after its reports, or why it does not go to the police when it uncovers sus- pected criminal activity. The Om- budsman argues it is crucial that people retain trust in the confiden- tiality that his office affords. "When the information is collect- ed, it is confidential information. […] I have to safeguard the secrecy people trust in me. If the police ask me where I got that information, I cannot give that information, or else people will not trust this Of- fice," he says. Ombudsman Judge Emeritus Joseph Zammit McKeon sits down with KARL AZZOPARDI to discuss his tenure, the challenges he has faced, and his recent report on the Corradino Correctional Facility