Abela doubles down on secrecy over asset declarations

Prime Minister Robert Abela continued to defy basic democratic principles of scrutiny, accountability, and transparency, insisting that the annual declarations of assets made by members of his Cabinet, including himself, should not be made public.

As part of a challenge launched by The Shift against the Prime Minister’s decision to end a 30-year tradition of publishing asset declarations, Abela continued to insist that he was right.

Through John Abela, the Office of the Prime Minister’s Director General, Robert Abela told the Information and Data Protection Commissioner that his stance would not change.

“These declarations are not created for public circulation. Instead, they are internal documents that help the Prime Minister carry out ethical oversight within the Executive,” the Prime Minister insisted.

“While they are formally received by the Cabinet Secretary, this is part of a process that remains fully within government and is intended to support internal accountability.”

The Commissioner is investigating a complaint filed by The Shift against the Prime Minister’s refusal to furnish a copy of the latest declarations (2023) under the Freedom of Information Act.

Upon becoming Prime Minister in 2020, Abela had no qualms about publishing these declarations until questions began to be raised about his declarations, which did not align with his lifestyle and property acquisitions.

Last December, when asked to submit a copy of these declarations to Parliament, as is customary, Abela initially stated that they had already been made and were open to public scrutiny.

When checked, Abela changed his stance, refusing to publish the declarations.

At the time, he said that he would publish the declarations once a reform was made in how all MPs, including opposition MPS, make their declarations. Last January, he insisted that the changes were about to be launched. So far, nothing has happened.

Ryan Spagnol, the Cabinet Secretary, who, according to the Manual of Cabinet Procedures, is supposed to put these declarations up for scrutiny whenever asked, also refused to follow protocol. Instead, he abided by Abela’s instructions.

The Standards Commissioner has already censured Abela’s refusal and asked him to publish them without further delay.

Abela, so far, remains defiant.