The Ombudsman has ruled that the Planning Authority should not intervene so that members would be present for PA Board meetings.

The Ombudsman was asked to investigate the use of a private jet by the Planning Authority to bring over a board member from a vacation in Sicily to take part in the vote on an application to develop the former ITS site in Pembroke by former AD Chairman, now AD MEP candidate Arnold Cassola

Jacqueline Gili was brought over to Malta – and taken back to Sicily – at a cost of €8,750. She was one of 10 board members who voted in favour of the project, with four voting against.

Cassola said today that the Ombudsman found that neither the Authority or even more the Executive should intervene so that members of the PA board are present for meetings. “This is in conformity with the basic principle that each member of the Planning Authority Board should be left in liberty to attend the meeting and to listen to the various representations and finally decide when the vote is taken. Any interference in any part of this whole process can be interpreted as if there were an unwarranted influence on the said member of the Board".

Cassola says that the Ombudsman made two recommendations. Firstly, that the Executive Chairman must assume the role to recommend and answer questions of the board, and assume no other role that could be interpreted as the executive having a say, even if one vote, in the final decision of the board. Secondly, the Ombudsman recommends that all members of the board must do all they can to be present for meetings, and must inform the board secretary in adequate time beforehand if they are unable to attend, or when they have other issues such as transport related ones. “Members must be left at liberty,and under no circumstances accept any insistence for them to attend or not.”

It was noted that the Executive Council of the authority accepted the recommendations.