“We must strive for transparency and accountability without fail. Any information that remains hidden leads to bad governance and inevitably undermines accountability. Lack of transparency threatens democracy itself.” ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo emphasized this at a press conference on Saturday morning in front of the National Audit Office in Floriana.
ADPD – The Green Party International Secretary and candidate for the European Parliament elections Mina Jack Tolo said the Auditor General has been called upon many times to investigate cases of decisions in the public sector that have raised many questions. Among other duties, he is mandated by Parliament to investigate and report on cases presented to it and ADPD has done so on many occasions, most recently with respect to Rosianne Cutajar’s employment contract with the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS). We have asked the Auditor General to look into whether public funds had been abused of.
It is to be pointed out that the original contract was not in the public domain and it was only thanks to investigative journalism by Shift News that brought about the necessary transparency so that now the persons responsible for issuing the contract will be brought to account.
ADPD has always respected the institutions. Hence why it has presented many cases to the Auditor General for investigation over the years. All those who administer public funds are obliged to do so in the national interest and not for someone’s abusive gain. At the end of the day, everybody should shoulder full responsibility for their actions!
ADPD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said that Rosianne Cutajar’s contract with the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) is only one example of many that have been uncovered thanks to investigative journalism by Shift News.
ADPD had also requested the Auditor General to investigate the payment of “golden handshakes” to outgoing Cabinet members. There is no transparency on such payments, decisions appear to be made directly by Cabinet. For transparency’s sake there should be effective control mechanisms and clear and established criteria for such a process and it should be parliament that makes the final decision on such payments, where justified.
It is positive to note that the Auditor General takes such cases seriously and earlier this week he asked for a meeting regarding our latest request regarding Rosianne Cutajar’s contract with ITS. We have not asked for Hon. Cutajar to be investigated but for an investigation on whether ITS had engaged her in an abusive manner to carry out work that she had neither the knowledge nor the competency to do. It is not only politicians that should be accountable for their actions!
“ADPD will continue to demand full transparency in the administration of public funds. Only this will lead to real accountability. We must strive for transparency and accountability without fail. Any hidden information leads to bad governance and inevitably undermines accountability. Lack of transparency threatens democracy itself,” concluded Cacopardo.
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It-trasparenza u l-kontabilità rridu naħdmu għalihom kuljum
“It-trasparenza u l-kontabilità rridu naħdmu għalihom kuljum. Informazzjoni li tinżamm mistura twassal għal governanza ħażina u inevitabbilment timmina l-kontabilità. In-nuqqas ta’ trasparenza hija ta’ theddida għad-demokrazija nnifisha.” Dan emfasizzah iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party, Carmel Cacopardo, meta indirizza konferenza stampa is-Sibt filgħodu quddiem l-Uffiċju tal-Awditur Ġenerali fil-Floriana.
Is-Segretarju Internazzjonali ta’ ADPD – The Green Party u kandidat għall-elezzjonijiet tal-Parlament Ewropew Mina Jack Tolu qal li l-Uffiċċju tal-Awditur Ġenerali kemm-il darba ntalab jinvestiga każijiet fejn ittieħdu deċiżjonijiet fis-settur pubbliku u li dwarhom tqajjmu ħafna mistoqsijiet. Huwa inkarigat mill-Parlament biex, fost oħrajn, jissorvelja u jirraporta fuq każijiet li jitressqu quddiemu u ADPD għamel hekk diversi drabi fosthom riċentement dwar il-kuntratt ta’ impjieg ta’ Rosianne Cutajar mal-Istitut għall-Istudji Turistiċi (ITS). F’dan il-każ aħna tlabna li jiġi investigat jekk fondi pubbliċi ntużawx b’mod abbużiv.
Il-kuntratt oriġinali ma kienx fid-dominju pubbliku u kien biss ġurnaliżmu investigattiv ta’ Shift News li wassal għat-trasparenza neċessarja biex issa, wieħed jista’ jinżamm responsabbli ta’ għemilu.
Aħna ta’ ADPD minn dejjem bil-fatti urejna li nirrispettaw l-isituzzjonijiet. Għalhekk kemm-il darba ressaqna każijiet quddiem l-Awditur Ġenerali biex jinvestigahom. Kull min jamministra fondi pubbliċi għandu l-obbligu li jagħmel dan fl-interess pubbliku u mhux biex ikun hemm min jiggwadanja b’mod abbużiv. Fl-aħħar, kulħadd għandu jerfa’ r-responsabbilità sħiħa ta’ għemilu!
Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD Carmel Cacopardo qal li l-kuntratt ta’ Rosianne Cutajar mal-Istitut għall-Istudji Turisitiċi (ITS) huwa biss eżempju wieħed li ħareġ fil-beraħ grazzi għal ġurnaliżmu investigattiv ta’ Shift News.
ADPD kienet talbet ukoll lill-Awditur Ġenerali biex jinvestiga l-ħlas ta’ “golden handshakes” li jingħataw lil membri tal-Kabinett li jispiċċaw mill-ħatra. Ma hemm l-ebda trasparenza dwar dawn il-ħlasijiet li jidher li jiġu deċiżi mill-Kabinett stess. F’ġieħ it-trasparenza għandu jkun hemm mekkaniżmi effettivi ta’ kontroll u kriterji ċari u stabbiliti dwar dan il-proċess kollu u għandu jkun il-parlament li finalment jieħu d-deċiżjoni dwar dawn il-pagamenti, fejn mistħoqqa.
Huwa ta’ sodisfazzjon li l-Awditur Ġenerali qiegħed jieħu dawn l-ilmenti bis-serjetà u kien għalhekk li aktar kmieni din il-ġimgħa talab laqgħa miegħi dwar l-aħħar talba li kont ressaqtlu dwar il-kuntratt tal-ITS ma’ Rosianne Cutajar. Din mhix talba biex tiġi investigata l-Onorevoli Cutajar imma dwar jekk l-ITS inġaġġahiex b’mod abbużiv biex twettaq xogħol li dwaru la kellha għarfien u l-anqas kompetenza. Mhux il-politiċi biss iridu jagħtu kont ta’ għemilhom!
“ADPD se tibqa’ tinsisti u tara li min jamministra fondi pubbliċi jagħmel dan b’mod trasparenti. Dan biss iwassal għal kontabilità reali. It-trasparenza u l-kontabilità rridu naħdmu għalihom kuljum. Il-ħabi ta’ informazzjoni twassal għal governanza ħażina u timmina il-kontabilità. In-nuqqas ta’ trasparenza hija ta’ theddida għad-demokrazija nnifisha,” temm jgħid Cacopardo.
