NGO Repubblika said today that the existing whistleblower law does not function and there is a need for one that does.

It was referring to a judicial protest filed by the former driver of parliamentary secretary Andy Ellul who called for a magisterial inquiry to investigate the social benefits fraud racket. Roger Agius filed the protest against the Prime Minister, the Whistleblower Officer at the Office of the Prime Minister, the State Advocate, the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Police on Thursday.

The judicial protest states that the OPM’s Whistleblower Office had twice ignored Agius’ offers of information to expose the scheme, the way it operates, as well as the people behind it and information relating to other offences before a magistrate, under oath.

In its statement, Repubblika said that the fight against corruption requires whisteblowers to be protected. What Malta has in place is a law that does not function and has been used only once.

The law should not be there for the government to have yet another tool to be corrupt. It is supposed to be there as a weapon against corruption.

The NGO said that it had made its proposals for the law to be amended in such a way as to give protection to whistleblowers. Whether this protection is afforded should not be in the responsibility of officials who are part of a ministry and, in the end, rather than protect witnesses, they protect the ministers.

An official who is appointed by the PM does not have any incentive to protect a witness who is ready to expose corruption within the government.

The NGO called for a public consultation to change the existing law.