Arnold Cassola's team has sent an email to the Standards Commissioner in which he is requesting that the Standards office investigate a potential breach of ethics by the Minister for National Heritage and Local Government Owen Bonnici.
Team Cassola said that the report concerns a recent "significant and sudden change in the law regarding the use of a historic site for private events, specifically for weddings".
The historic site they are referring to is the Gozo Citadel (Ċittadella), which has now been made available for weddings as of a recent legal notice detailed in an edition of the Government Gazette. Minister Bonnici published this notice, Legal Act 135, on June 14th 2024. A day after this, a wedding was held at the Citadel, Team Cassola noted.
Team Cassola said that this change in the law and regulations raises concerns about abuse and conflict of interest from a government Minister under circumstances which require investigation.
Those circumstances, they said, include that the legal act was issued only one day before a wedding including a family member of the Minister's permanent secretary was held using the historic site. Team Cassola said that the permanent secretary's family therefore directly benefitted from this regulation change.
They continued that if one were to follow the rules of the amended law itself, the request to make use of the site would have to have been submitted four weeks in advance.
Team Cassola added that the historic site in question, the Citadel, has long been protected under regulations that prohibit its use for private events in order to ensure its preservation and to safeguard public accessibility. They said that the sudden nature of this legal modification goes completely against such ideals for protection and preservation, and that such change in nature suggests an inappropriate use of legislative power for personal or private interest.
Team Cassola remarked that the main points which require an investigation by the Standards Commissioner include the timing of the legal notice being published just one day in advance of the aforementioned wedding, which they said suggests a lack of transparency and due process in changing the law.
Acknowledging that the Legal Act itself specifies that there should be a four-week advanced notice, Team Cassola said that the potential violation of the rules of the act itself is worthy of investigation. They continued that the involvement of Minister Bonnici is another element worthy of investigation, because as the Minister responsible for the legal change he should be scrutinised to determine if there was any personal interest in facilitating the relevant marriage at the historic site.
Team Cassola said that the impact on the historic site itself should be investigated, to determine the consequences on the integrity of the historic site and its public accessibility to ensure that such actions do not set a precedent for misuse.
They also questioned why the act specifically mentions that only weddings are allowed on the historic site. "How was this decision made and why only weddings?" They asked.
Team Cassola concluded by saying that the way this law has been changed raises questions about governance and the potential abuse of power, which can undermine public trust in the country's legal and political systems.
They reiterated their request for the Standards Commissioner to carry out a comprehensive investigation on the matter, and added that it is essential for the principles of transparency, justice, and integrity in the country's legal system to be upheld, "and ensure that public officials are held accountable for their actions".