Asset declarations: Robert Abela ignores transparency rules followed for 30 years

Prime Minister Robert Abela has further compromised his government’s record on transparency, accountability, and good governance by refusing to present the latest annual declarations of assets from his ministers and parliamentary secretaries to parliament.

A report by The Shift highlighted that the 2023 declarations were still missing, despite Abela telling parliament they had been tabled. PN MP Karol Aquilina called for a parliamentary ruling on the matter, which led to Speaker Anglu Farrugia saying he could not compel the prime minister to table these declarations.

He confirmed that prime ministers before Abela had submitted these declarations annually, following a practice established over the past 30 years. Farrugia noted that there have been three occasions in the last 30 years when these declarations were not tabled, with the last occurrence being in 2007 (18 years ago).

But, he said, the law did not oblige the government to adhere to this practice – it was up to the prime minister to decide.

Standards Commissioner in the dark

In a related matter, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has not informed the Standards Commissioner, who is legally responsible for scrutinising the accuracy of these declarations.

A spokesman for the Commissioner informed The Shift that his office had not yet received the 2023 declarations. “This office typically obtains ministers’ declarations of assets once they are tabled in parliament. However, we are unaware that the ministers’ declarations for 2023 are or were accessible to the public.”

It remains unclear whether the Commissioner is investigating the prime minister for a potential breach of the code of ethics. According to the Ministerial Code of Ethics, cabinet members must declare their assets and those of their spouses, partners, and dependents to the cabinet secretary annually.

Over the past 30 years, prime ministers have presented these declarations to parliament for public scrutiny to uphold good governance, transparency, and accountability. This practice was followed for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 declarations during Abela’s tenure.

Yet this year, Abela is holding back despite telling parliament the asset declarations were available, only to be caught out when checked.

When The Shift requested a copy of the 2023 declarations, the prime minister’s spokesperson, Edward Montebello, declined, claiming they were already accessible to the public. An electronic search by The Shift across various official government websites yielded no results. This has now been confirmed.

In 2022, the last year Abela published his cabinet’s asset declarations, several questions arose regarding their veracity, including his own declaration.

While Abela stated that he earned only €65,000 and that his wife had no earnings, his savings increased despite spending hundreds of thousands on acquiring property in Xewkija, Gozo.

The Shift has reported that Abela’s lifestyle, including ownership of a luxurious yacht that costs at least €30,000 a year to maintain, does not align with his declared income.