Police Commissioner: PM to choose between candidates put forward by Public Service Commission
• PN says Abela disregarded two-thirds Parliamentary requirement proposal
Prime Minister Robert Abela has announced his Cabinet’s proposed changes to the way police commissioners are appointed, which would include a public call for applications.
Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar resigned soon after Prime
Minister Robert Abela took office. He has been temporarily replaced by Carmelo Magri, the most senior police officer. Cutajar was under fire for months, in particular by civil society, for his failure to investigate allegations of corruption. He had been appointed by former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. On the day Cutajar’s resignation was announced, Prime Minister Abela said that Cabinet would be discussing changes to the way commissioners are appointed.
Unveiling the proposal yesterday, Abela described it as a reflection of the transparency “we believe in.”
The proposed method will begin “with the basic principle established by the Venice Commission, which I saw nowhere in the PN’s proposal, for there to be public competition; not an internal competition within the police force, but
a public one, meaning that the people will be able to apply for the post through a public call issued by the Public Service Commission.”
The Public Service Commission, he said, is an authority established by the Constitution. “Two of the representatives on it are appointed by the government, two are appointed by the Opposition and the Chairman is agreed upon by the political parties.”
The number of applications, after being submitted, will be evaluated by the Public Service Commission, and these will be shortlisted down to two candidates, he said.
The criteria for the eligibility of candidates will be drawn up by the Public Service Commission, Abela continued
“These two will be the most capable, in the Commission’s eyes, to occupy the position of Police Commissioner. From there, the process will then go to the Prime Minister, who will choose the candidate he believes is best suited to occupy the post.”
“It is good to see what the Venice Commission had said in its report, giving the Prime Minister the right to reject a recommendation the evaluation committee sends, and I am ready to drop this right. I am ready to drop this as I do not want to be in conflict with the
Public Service Commission.”
He said that the next step would be the Public Appointments Committee in Parliament, composed of both government and Opposition MPs. “So the Prime Minister’s choice will not be final, and the chosen person would then go before the committee which would be able to scrutinize the nomination. The Opposition will have all the opportunity to ask questions and a Parliamentary vote will then be held.”
Abela, addressing the press, said that the last aspect is his word to the Maltese people – that he wants a Police Commissioner who is serious and allowed to do his work autonomously without any interference.
Asked about timeframes, Prime Minister Abela said that he wants to proceed as soon as possible so that a Police Commissioner may be appointed through this new transparent method. Until then, however, there is an Acting Commissioner in place.
During a Q&A, Abela highlighted that the idea of requiring a two-thirds parliamentary majority is nowhere to be seen in the Venice Commission report.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Abela had described his Cabinet’s proposal as “superior” to that of the Opposition. On Monday, the Nationalist
Party presented a draft bill which would see police commissioners appointed and removed by a two-thirds parliamentary majority. The motion seeks to make amendments in the Constitution.
Abela also said he had taken action “within seconds” of being informed that two members of his security detail were being investigated as part of a whistleblower case.
Earlier in the day, Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi published an email he had received (the PM was also copied), in which it was claimed that the two officers had been transferred to the police force’s traffic section because of an ongoing investigation.
Azzopardi said the police force had thus breached whistleblower confidentiality.
In a statement, the police said that investigations into claims “made on social media” about traffic police had started as soon as the allegations surfaced.
Abela said he had not chosen, but “inherited”, the two members of his security detail, and insisted he had taken immediate action as soon as he was informed of the allegations.
PN statement
The Nationalist Party, in reaction to Prime Minister Abela’s proposal, said that like his predecessor, the Prime Minister wants to pick the Police Commissioner himself.
“What he announced shows that he is not ready for there to be national agreement on who is appointed to the post.”
“The Prime Minister proposed a scrutiny process before the Commission and a Parliamentary Committee where he knows he has a majority, and thus effective control, and left the final choice in his own hands.”
The PN said that Abela has not understood just how urgent the force needs to regain public confidence, and does not understand the damage done by his own government to the country.
The PN said that Abela had disregarded its proposal that the appointment require a twothirds parliamentary majority.