Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1537976
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 30 JULY 2025 NEWS MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt NAO: Gozo Ministry failed to address 'vaguely justified' overtime requests THE National Audit Office (NAO) has noted that the Min- istry for Gozo and Planning is still far behind in implementing some of the recommendations made by the office in 2021. The NAO took note of the ministry's actions in response to prior audit findings, par- ticularly concerning personal emoluments, overtime, and al- lowances. The original 2021 audit iden- tified issues such as habitual overtime with vague justifica- tions and unreliable attend- ance records. The initial 2021 audit found that the ministry's attendance records, which are meant to be the primary source for supporting claimed extra hours, were often unreliable. Discrepancies were noted be- tween hours claimed and actu- al hours worked, some attend- ance sheets lacked reviewing officials' signatures, and in one instance, an officer certified their own records. In its fol- low-up, the NAO observed an overall improvement in this area, with no cases of full-day overtime indicated on week- ends and public holidays when fewer hours were worked, and most attendance sheets being correctly certified. However, the issue of illegible clockings for one officer, continuously certified as correct, remains unaddressed. The 2021 audit flagged the vague justifications provided for habitual overtime work. Re- quests for overtime were often undated, and reasons such as "pressure of work" or "duty on weekends" were generic, fail- ing to link the work to specific tasks as required by the Public Service Management Code. Several officers performed overtime for prolonged peri- ods, raising questions about planning and potential under- performance during regular hours. The follow-up audit indicates that insignificant progress has been made in this area, with requests for overtime still lack- ing endorsement dates and justifications remaining vague. Prolonged overtime periods for sampled officers continue to be an issue, with one case ex- tending up to 12 consecutive months. Similar to the original audit, requests for overtime work in the follow-up still showed specific numbers of overtime hours for weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays approved three months in ad- vance, indicating no improve- ment in this specific aspect. The ministry did, however, issue a Standard Operating Procedure in March 2025 to manage overtime requests, ap- provals, and processing. Regarding overtime on Sun- days and public holidays, the original 2021 audit noted that officers often worked only a few hours but received a full day's pay, and inconsistencies were found in how employees were remunerated for this ad- ditional work. The NAO's follow-up shows that this issue has not been addressed, with one sampled officer continuing to perform two hours of overtime on these days and receiving a full day's pay for "duty at the Civil Abat- toir as a carcass loader". The 2021 audit noted insuf- ficient information regarding overtime rates and payments, making it difficult to see if of- ficers were paid at the correct rates, especially for tasks out- side their normal responsibil- ities. The NAO has confirmed that this recommendation is fully implemented, with over- time performed by sampled of- ficers now deemed in line with their job titles and all overtime payment computations clearly defined. The NAO took note of the ministry's actions in response to prior audit findings, particularly concerning personal emoluments, overtime, and allowances Man, 63, dies after empty bus crushed him against a wall A 63-year-old man died after an empty bus reversed onto him at the Floriana park-and- ride on Tuesday. The accident happened at around 1:45pm, when police received a report of an injured man. Preliminary investigations suggest that the bus "moved on its own," as the man got stuck between the vehicle and a wall. A medical team rushed to the park-and-ride, and the man was taken to Mater Dei Hos- pital by ambulance. He died shortly afterwards. Magistrate Joe Mifsud was informed of the case and launched an inquiry. Police and OHSA investiga- tions are still ongoing. Preliminary investigations suggest that the bus 'moved on its own,' as the man got stuck between the vehicle and a wall Photo: Malta Police Force