Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546398
2 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 2 SEPTEMBER 2026 NEWS PN welcomes decision finding Bonett breached ethics code THE Nationalist Party welcomed a decision finding Sustainable Mobility Minister Chris Bonett in breach of the Code of Ethics for using the government's De- partment of Information (DOI) to issue a statement containing partisan attacks and unfounded allegations. The decision was reached by the Standing Committee on Standards in Public Life, which adopted the Standards Com- missioner's report following a complaint filed by PN MPs Mark Anthony Sammut and Joe Giglio over Bonett's statement. The commissioner had previ- ously warned ministers that state- ments issued through the DOI must be objective and should not contain partisan material, fol- lowing a number of similar cas- es. "While other ministers had apologised and given assurances that such cases would not be re- peated," the PN said, "Bonett re- mained obstinate and continued to fail to distinguish between his role as a minister and his role as a member of a political party." The report was adopted dur- ing Monday's parliamentary committee meeting after the two members nominated by the Prime Minister, ministers Byron Camilleri and Jonathan Attard, abstained. The two substitute members nominated by PN lead- er Alex Borg, Paula Mifsud Bon- nici and Michael Piccinino, voted in favour. The PN also expressed disap- pointment that the government continues to "drag its feet" on giving legal force to guidelines recommended by the Office of the Commissioner for Standards. The guidelines set out how the Code of Ethics for ministers and parliamentary secretaries should be interpreted, particularly in re- lation to government advertising and promotional material. The PN said the failure to im- plement them has led to re- peated disputes over reports by the Standards Commissioner concerning the misuse of gov- ernment advertising. During Monday's meeting alone, the committee considered three such reports. It said Speaker Carmelo Abela had "followed in the footsteps of his predecessor" by voting against all three. The party recalled that, in 2021, former Speaker Anġlu Farrugia abstained on a similar report on the grounds that there were no guidelines setting out clear crite- ria for distinguishing legitimate government advertising from personal publicity for ministers. A few months later, the Stand- ards Commissioner published a document setting out clear guidelines on how the Code of Ethics should be interpreted in this area. The PN said the docu- ment was circulated to all Mem- bers of Parliament and no objec- tions were raised. However, it said both Farrugia and current Speaker Carmelo Abela have since voted against reports by the Standards Com- missioner finding ethical breach- es by ministers or parliamentary secretaries over the use of public funds for advertising and person- al promotion. The justification repeatedly giv- en, according to the PN, is that the guidelines do not have legal force. At the same time, the party said, the government has taken no steps to incorporate them into the Code of Ethics. "This has created a situation in which ministers and parliamen- tary secretaries effectively have 'carte blanche' to disregard the Code of Ethics in this area, know- ing that the committee, through the Speaker's casting vote, re- peatedly rejects the report even when the commissioner finds a breach," the PN said. While acknowledging that some ministers named in such reports have voluntarily apologised and, in some cases, reimbursed funds, the PN said others have contin- ued to repeat the same conduct despite successive reports. The party called on the gov- ernment to adopt the Standards Commissioner's guidelines with- out further delay, arguing that as long as it fails to do so, ministers and parliamentary secretaries will continue to be able to act without consequences in this ar- ea. EVA BRANNON ebrannon@mediatoday.com.mt Malta Independent denies firing columnist due to pressure from PN leader THE Malta Independent has denied firing Noel Grima, its former weekly columnist, claiming the decision to end his weekly opinion article was based on editorial considera- tions. The decision, the paper said, "was based on editorial con- siderations, which take place on a regular basis." The statement came after the newspaper's former editor Noel Grima claimed on Face- book his column had been dropped due to pressure from Opposition Leader Alex Borg. He asked: "Can Noel, Miller, Steve and Andre deny there was pressure from Alex Borg to terminate my association?" Grima said he had not been allowed to say goodbye to readers in the paper itself, so did so on Facebook instead. "Thanks for the long associa- tion over the years," he wrote. "Apologies for when I was wrong. I will try and continue writing." The Malta Independent said that when it informed Grima of its decision this morning, it thanked him "for the many years during which he has contributed to the newspaper, first as its editor and later as a contributor." It added that his "long asso- ciation with the newspaper, and the contribution he has made to it over the years, are something that was appreciat- ed." In his post, Grima gave a fuller account of his years at the paper. He drew a comparison with an earlier exit, stating that when Managing Director Noel Azzopardi let him go before, cost-cutting was given as the reason, only to discover he was the only cost that was cut. At the time, he was editing two papers at once and driving home to Mellieha at midnight. He also said his departure ended what he called "regu- lar and abusive censorship," which he claimed followed the discovery that he had been posting uncut versions of his copy online. Following this, the Nation- alist Party has rejected any al- legation that it has exerted or continues to exert pressure on media organisations or jour- nalists who have worked or continue to work in the media. It also rejects any accusation that it interferes, or has ever interfered, in the selection of journalists and opinion writ- ers engaged by the various broadcasting and print media organisations in Malta. "With reference to allega- tions made this morning by a former editor and column- ist of an independent news- paper, the PN denies that PN Leader Alex Borg had any in- volvement whatsoever in the decision to discontinue that individual's contributions to the newspaper," it said. The party affirmed their be- lief in the value of free, inde- pendent and responsible jour- nalism as an essential pillar of a strong democracy. JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt Noel Grima, (left) Malta Independent's former editor, claimed on Facebook his column had been dropped due to pressure from Opposition Leader Alex Borg (right) Transport Minister Chris Bonett