Reference is made to the story you carried in the front page of your edition of The Malta Independent of 17 July 2009 titled Helping Vlada get back on her feet.

The story was used to solicit public donations on behalf of the person mentioned in the story who was the victim of an accident and now requires help to pay for expensive treatment in a Moscow Clinic. The article includes details of how donations could be effected by the public.

May I point out that public collections in Malta are regulated by The Public Collections Act of 1981 (revised 1995) and the Voluntary Organisations Act of 2007. The latter permits all voluntary organisations, including temporary ones, to make public collections and solicit public donations without the requirement of a police licence as is laid down in the Public Collections Act. All organisations, temporary or otherwise, not enrolled with the Commissioner must possess a police licence to carry out any single fund-raising activity. If what is intended is something more ongoing than a single event or occasion then they must enrol as temporary organisations according to the Voluntary Organisations Act Art. 16 (1), which states:

“A voluntary organisation may be established as a temporary organisation if it is an organisation formed with one specific purpose, including the raising of funds for a specific social purpose or for the benefit of another enrolled voluntary organisation, or the carrying out of a particular task in support of a social purpose or of another voluntary organisation.”

The initiative in favour of Ms Kravchenko (Vlada) clearly falls within this description and its promoters have now, in fact begun the process of enrolment as a temporary organisation with my office. However, when The Malta Independent published its story they were not in possession of either of the legal requirements mentioned above, which made their appeal illegal and rendered The Malta Independent complicit in this respect.

You are requested to ensure your future compliance with the law for any future initiatives where public collections are made on behalf of any cause by ensuring that the organisers either have a Voluntary Organisations number or a Police permit number as the case may be.

Marika Farrugia

Executive Secretary

Office of the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations

Editor’s note: The Malta Independent apologises for being “complicit” in an “illegal appeal”. The same said appeal which is now in the process of enrolment. So much for helping a good cause...