Jimmy Magro left on latest electoral register despite prison sentence

Former Labour Party secretary general Jimmy Magro, who is currently serving a prison sentence following a confirmed corruption conviction, is still listed on the latest electoral register published last week, The Shift is informed.

Sources close to the Electoral Commission, which oversees the electoral process, told The Shift that Magro may be among several individuals,  including other prisoners,  who appear on the register despite not being eligible to vote.

Magro is serving a sentence exceeding 12 months. Under Maltese law, individuals serving prison terms longer than one year are not entitled to vote during the duration of their sentence.

The electoral register, published periodically by the Electoral Commission, includes the names of persons who are administratively recorded as eligible voters. However, inclusion on the register does not in itself override legal disqualifications established by law.

Preliminary checks by Commission officials indicate that Magro’s name has not been removed from the most recent version of the register, despite his current incarceration and sentence length.

Officials indicated that this situation may not be limited to a single case. Other individuals currently serving prison sentences exceeding 12 months could also still be listed on the latest register.

The issue is raising concerns about the accuracy of the electoral register and other corrupt practices.

Prisons and residential homes for the elderly have historically been identified as locations where such discrepancies are more likely to occur.

Sources pointed to the broader issue of incumbency, insisting that the Labour administration is seeking to benefit from greater access to state structures and administrative processes. Weaknesses in systems such as the electoral register could, if left unaddressed, risk being perceived as favouring the governing party, although no evidence has yet been presented to show deliberate manipulation in this case.

Electoral procedures provide that eligibility to vote is determined by law, and additional checks are expected to be applied where necessary. It remains unclear how many individuals currently listed on the register fall into categories that would legally disqualify them from voting.

Last week, The Shift also revealed how Osvaldo Pace, the head of the Government Printing Press, a crucial government department involved in the electoral process, including through the printing of ballot sheets, is a member of the strategy team of Labour Minister Jonathan Attard and is organising his public events, in breach of his work contract as a Government Director General.