Prime minister cites new excuse to keep asset declarations secret

Prime Minister Robert Abela has shifted his story yet again, now claiming his Cabinet’s 2023 asset declarations are confidential documents exempt from publication.

The latest excuse, issued in response to a Freedom of Information request from The Shift, directly contradicts Abela’s earlier pledges of transparency.

The Shift has filed a formal complaint with the Commissioner for Information and Data Protection, arguing that Abela is defying both the law and basic democratic standards by shielding documents designed to ensure public accountability.

Crucially, The Shift pointed out that Abela had no objection to publishing Cabinet asset declarations until last year, when the Standards Commissioner launched an investigation into inconsistencies between Abela’s declared income and his evident lifestyle, including significant property purchases made jointly with his wife.

Repeated U-turns and broken promises

The controversy dates back to December, when The Shift first highlighted the missing declarations.

At the time, Abela refused to comment. When pressed in Parliament by PN MP Karol Aquilina, the Prime Minister falsely claimed the documents had already been submitted and made public, yet he refused to produce them.

Speaker Anglu Farrugia later confirmed that Abela was flouting a three-decade-long practice of parliamentary disclosure, although the Speaker conceded he lacked the authority to enforce compliance.

The Standards Commissioner also told The Shift that his office, tasked with overseeing ministers’ declarations, had not received the documents either.

Abela effectively shut down the Standards Commissioner’s investigation into the property the prime minister bought in Xewkija, Gozo, which he is turning into a boutique hotel.

Faced with mounting scrutiny, Abela announced plans for sweeping reforms supposedly aimed at enhancing transparency. He promised that once new rules were in place, requiring all MPs, including the Opposition, to submit expanded declarations, the 2023 Cabinet documents would be released.

Those reforms never materialised. Months later, there is no sign of change, and the Opposition has gone silent.

Now, Abela has hardened his position, rebranding the declarations as confidential Cabinet documents beyond public reach.

Abela’s abrupt change of heart is being seen as aimed at preventing fresh scrutiny of his personal finances. His declarations for 2021 and 2022 triggered controversy, exposing gaps between his modestly declared income and a lifestyle suggesting access to undeclared wealth, possibly held through his wife.