A decision by the Council of Europe on whether Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar should be sanctioned for possible ethical breaches has been delayed.

The council has said that it requires more information from the Maltese Parliament before reaching its conclusion.

The council did however find her guilty of a "minor breach" of its Code of Ethics for failing to submit her 2018 declaration of interests for four years.

Cutajar is accused of breaching ethics when she derided a report by Dutch MP Pieter Omtzigt, in which he had referred to Yorgen Fenech and 17 Black.

The complaint came after revelations that Cutajar was involved in a failed property deal with Fenech, raising the prospect of a conflict of interest.

Cutajar has since been replaced by Miriam Dalli on the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe.

In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the council said it had asked the Speaker of the Maltese Parliament for "detailed information" on its own procedure regarding the MP.  

"Pending receipt of this information and the completion of the national parliamentary procedure, [the Council of Europe] decided to resume the consideration of this matter, no later than during the 2022 second part-session of the Assembly," it said.

It said that Cutajar's failure to submit a declaration of interests for four consecutive years "constituted a minor breach of the Code of Conduct" and decided to inform the Speaker of the Maltese parliament.