Former Parliamentary Secretary for Lands Michael Falzon this evening launched a broadside against a number of National Audit Office (NAO) employees, who he accused of being political partisan and not fit to even serve in the public service, let alone at the NAO.

Speaking in adjournment time in Parliament, Dr Falzon, who has been stripped of his portfolio and sent to the backbench after a damning NAO report that implicated him in the Old Mint Street (Gaffarena) scandal, he said that the situation was reminiscent of the times of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels.

Dr Falzon repeated accusations to the effect that NAO employee Antoine Calleja had been photographed in the company of Dr Falzon's Nationalist predecessor Jason Azzopardi.  Tabling the photograph in Parliament, Dr Falzon mused that Dr Azzopardi may have been wearing a cap to either protect himself from the sun or to hide himself.

Accusing Mr Calleja of being politically partisan, Dr Falzon asked, "What kind of transparency is this?" Dr Falzon asked, "Are we supposed to trust this person's investigation?" 

He added Mr Calleja was tasked with investigating four cases in which his former boss had been involved in.

Dr Falzon then took aim at two other NAO employees - Keith Mercieca and Josephine Vella, who he said was the wife of a Nationalist electoral candidate.  He said that after the NAO had published a critical report on a privatisation project led by Minister Chris Cardona, the pair had said they would crack open a bottle of champagne.

"These people should not even be allowed a position in the civil service, let alone at the National Audit Office," Dr Falzon said.

He also referred to the employment at the NAO of the daughter of the former head of the civil service Godwin Grima, saying that after she had applied for a promotion in the last legislature that she had insisted on having new business cards printed out with her new designation, before she had even been chosen for the post."

Dr Falzon questioned, "Are we supposed to take these individuals seriously?"

The Old Mint Street report, which had led to Dr Falzon's ouster from cabinet, he said, had not even been signed.  He said that when he asked for the reason for the anonymity, he was told that the fact that such reports are not signed was common practice.

"Where in the world are things done like this," he asked.

Dr Falzon asked who would investigate the Fekruna scandal and others from the previous administration.

The situation, he said, was "shameful".

"These people have to live up to their name, and not hide behind a smokescreen of a constitutional body."

 

Every allegation of employee politically motivation is thoroughly investigated - NAO

On the allegations against Mr Calleja, the National Auditor's Office has said that it investigates every allegation made about any official who works at NAO so that the professionalism and integrity of the work it carries out is safeguarded.

Replying to a series of questions from this newspaper recently following similar allegations made by Dr Falzon, a spokesperson for the NAO said that the results of every internal investigation carried out and the actions that the NAO would take are treated in a confidential manner. 

In a Facebook post, MP Michael Falzon wrote that a certain Antoine Calleja, who is allegedly politically involved with the Nationalist Party, works at the NAO. Dr Falzon, who posted Calleja's photo with Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi, called for the NAO to launch an investigation.

In a separate post written later, the Labour Party MP said that the NAO is investigating this particular worker, because there is no other way out as the man's photo was posted on social media.

"I only hope that if an investigation is launched, it is conducted by independent individuals and not by people who are politically motivated," Dr Falzon writes.

In its reply, a spokesperson for the NAO said that one of the core values of this office is its independence and neutrality, away from all partisan politics. "This is very clearly stipulated in the Code of Professional Conduct, which every employee at the NAO has to abide by. It is of paramount importance that this office ensures professional and ethical conduct.

"Although everyone is entitled to a political opinion, none of our employees can participate in political activities. Such behaviour would be completely incompatible with the autonomy and independence of the office." In fact, according to the NAO, every employee who participates in a political activity will face disciplinary action.

Former Parliamentary Secretary Michael Falzon, who was compelled to resign his post following the Gaffarena expropriation scandal, had lashed out at the NAO during a Public Accounts Committee grilling. He had insisted that the NAO report on the Gaffarena case was the result of a "political witch hunt".

Dr Falzon had also criticized the report for failing to dwell on the role of Joseph Spiteri, the architect who carried out the valuation of property. "This report is an ethical and professional blasphemy," he told the Committee.

This newsroom asked the spokesperson if Antoine Calleja was questioned following Falzon's allegations, but the questions remained unanswered.