Malta has only partially implemented some of the recommendations put forward by the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) as they require legislative changes which take longer to process, Minister for Justice Jonathan Attard said on Tuesday.

During parliamentary questions, PN MPs Mark Anthony Sammut and PN MP Beppe Fenech Adami blasted the government in parliament over only fully implementing 2 of 23 recommendations by Group of States against Corruption (GRECO).

The Malta Independent had reported that the GRECO report found that twelve recommendations have been partly implemented and nine have not been implemented. Only two were implemented fully.

The compliance report on Malta assessed the progress of the country in the implementation of the recommendations issued in the Fifth Round Evaluation Report on prevention of corruption and promotion of integrity in central governments (top executive functions) and law enforcement agencies, which was adopted at GRECO's Plenary Meeting on 22 March 2019.

Sammut asked Minister for Justice Johnathan Attard regarding this, to which he replied that the same report confirms that the government has implemented or is in the process of implementing several other recommendations, which is a positive thing, he said.

Attard said that some recommendations have been partially implemented as they require legislative changes, which take longer to process.

Attard said that when the GRECO report came out with recommendations in 2012 whilst Malta was under a PN legislature, the PN failed to implement any of the nine recommendations at the time.

Fenech Adami intervened, condemning the government for only implementing two recommendations and declaring that this was a positive result. Sammut said that the report highlighted the country’s corruption and low standards, as well as failure of regulating lobbies.

Attard continued to reiterate that the PN had not implemented any recommendations during its time in government.