Army promotions: Ombudsman files judicial protest against Home Affairs Minister

The Ombudsman said in a judicial protest filed today he failed to understand why the Home Affairs Minister seemed to be refusing to cooperate in his search for the truth about army promotions and was creating obstacles in every way for. In his protest, against Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia and permanent secretary Kevin Mahoney, the Ombudsman said the ministry is not cooperating in handing over relevant information that he needed to conduct investigations into complaints made by officers regarding army promotions. A number of allegations made by the minister were baseless. The allegation that the constitutional authority, such as that of the Ombudsman was being partial and prejudiced in the carrying out of its functions was serious and should be immediately and unreservedly withdrawn. It was even more serious when such an allegation was made by a ministry because it showed there were still some in public administration who were not ready to submit their operations to autonomous and independent scrutiny to ensure good and fair administration. The Ombudsman was not just a defender of citizens but also to an effective instrument for the improvement of public administration...