Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/404410
JURGEN BALZAN THE Office of the Ombudsman is keeping its options open over home affairs minister Manuel Mallia's dithering in the institutional stand- off between the two over complaints from Armed Forces personnel about their promotions. Despite a mutual agreement to hold further meetings following the first attempt to find a breakthrough in the impasse between Mallia and Parliamentary Ombudsman Joseph Said Pullicino in August, no further meetings have been held. "There was only one meeting with the Minister for Home Affairs and National Security which was cor- dial and positive," an Ombudsman spokesperson told MaltaToday. The two – who years ago were col- leagues when Mallia was an up and coming lawyer – had met following Said Pullicino's request for informa- tion to carry out an inquiry on is- sues of promotions, pay and pension rights. Mallia contends that the Ombuds- man has 'no jurisdiction' over the army, and wants to prevent Said Pullicino from pursuing the com- plaints. Instead, the government wants the complaints processed through government-appointed 'grievances boards'. Mallia also contends that in 2003 – two years prior to Said Pullicino's appoint- ment – an investigating of- ficer in the Ombudsman's office refused to investigate a complaint lodged by an ar- my officer over promotions, before exhausting all other channels. On his part, Said Pullicino is reiterating that the Om- budsman Act gives him the jurisdiction to investigate complaints made by AFM officers. Following the August meeting, the Ombudsman's office said progress "has been registered" but further noted that discussions "are required." A home affairs ministry spokesperson had also told MaltaToday that no breakthrough was achieved and further meetings were planned. In June, both the Ombudsman and the government filed judicial pro- tests against each other, after the Ombudsman insisted his office had jurisdiction to consider complaints filed by AFM personnel. In fresh comments to MaltaToday, the Ombudsman's office explained that Mallia argued that the laws in this respect are not clear and that they should be clarified. The Ombudsman's office pointed out that whatever amendments were deemed to be necessary by the government, these should not preju- dice the right of the army officers to complain to the office. "The Ombudsman was given to understand that the government would be considering his submis- sions and would table a Bill when Parliament re- sumed its business in Oc- tober," the office said. Questions sent to the home affairs ministry and the Office of the Prime Minister to confirm whether the bill was final- ized and when it would be tabled in Parliament re- main unanswered. The Ombudsman's of- fice spokesperson added that Mallia has given no indication of what action the government intends to take and noted that while "no Bill has been tabled in the House," the Ombudsman is not aware of its contents. Asked whether the Om- budsman is considering other legal avenues to settle the dispute, the spokesperson said Said Pullicino "will act accordingly and will remain free to take any appropriate action he considers it proper to defend the army officers who filed a complaint with him." maltatoday, SUNDAY, 26 OCTOBER 2014 News Ombudsman keeping options open to 'defend' AFM officers Rescued migrants transported to Italy 200 migrants rescued by a mer- chant vessel 285 miles South East of Malta were taken to Italy after their repeated requests not to be taken to Malta. On Thursday, Malta's Rescue Co- ordination Centre was informed that a fishing boat carrying around 200 migrants was in distress. The case unfolded in Malta's Search and Rescue Region. The migrants, some of them women and children, are claiming to be Syrian. The Maltese Rescue Coordina- tion centre immediately diverted a merchant vessel, the 'Eleonora Maersk', that was in the vicinity to investigate further. Upon closer inspection and con- sidering the worsening weather conditions (winds of force 6-7), it was decided to take the migrants aboard the merchant vessel. Subsequently the merchant ves- sel steamed in a north-westerly direction, heading towards Malta. However, the migrants repeatedly requested to be taken to Italy. While the Maltese and Italian governments were in talks over the request, the migrants refused to be transferred on board the AFM's Maritime Squadron's vessel. A spokesman for the Armed Forces of Malta confirmed that the Italian authorities agreed to the disembarkation of the migrants at an Italian port. Following 10 hours of talks, the merchant vessel steamed North with all migrants on board. Talks between Ombudsman and Manuel Mallia over AFM complaints at a standstill People you can trust Atlas Healthcare Insurance Agency Limited is authorized under the Insurance Intermediaries Act 2006, to act as agents for AXA PPP Healthcare Limited and is regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority. The policies are underwritten by AXA PPP Healthcare Limited. Atlas Healthcare Insurance Agency Limited (Agents) Abate Rigord Street, Ta' Xbiex XBX 1121 Tel: 21 322 600 | Fax: 21 322 599 | email: health@atlas.com.mt Do something positive instead Subscribe online to the Atlas Healthcare Value Plus Policy Full refunds on the benefits you really need at a price you can afford atlas.com.mt How to waste a good 5 minutes Re-reading your Facebook wall Sipping your third (or fourth) coffee Browsing YouTube for cat videos Gossiping with friends about friends Ombudsman Joseph Said Pullicino – keeping his options open