Energy Minister Miriam Dalli has been found guilty by the Standards Commissioner of having issued an official statement including partisan content via the Department of Information, which is paid for with public funds.

Standards Commissioner Joseph Azzopardi's report was published by the Nationalist Party on Friday, and it referred to a government statement issued by the Energy and Environment Ministry earlier this year, which replied to a criticism made by PN MPs on exaggerated delays on government projects, shown by the lack of planning by government.

The reply which was in the form of a DOI press release said that previous PN administrations had abandoned the Cottonera and had never ensured that they truly provide environmental projects in these localities.

The complaint was made to the Office by PN MP Karol Aquilina, saying that Dalli has been in violation of "several provisions" of the Code of Ethics for Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries, including that ministers must keep their roles as MPs and as a member of a political party separate.

He also said that ministers must respect the principle of political impartiality of the public service. Aquilina also said that ministers must respect the impartiality of the public service and ensure that their influence on the public service is not abused.

Aquilina continued that ministers have a duty to give due consideration to the widest possible range of advice before reaching any decision, including giving weight to the informed and impartial advice of public officials or employees.

He also referred to other Ministers who were found to be in violation of the Code of Ethics, namely Minister Silvio Schembri in 2021 concerning partisan content in a press release issued through the DOI, and former Minister Konrad Mizzi in 2019 about a publication of a DOI statement that was inappropriate in tone and content.

The Office wrote to Dalli to refer the complaint and ask for her views on it on 21 March, 2024. She replied on 17 May of the same year, saying that the aim of the press release in question was to provide factual information on various projects ongoing in the south of Malta and the expenditures, which "are undoubtedly of public interest."

Dalli continued that the two short excerpts from the statement that the complainant drew attention to were intended to correct incorrect information and defend government's performance. The reference to previous administrations was made to respond to the Opposition and provide a clear comparison between different situations, she said.

She said she felt that the response from the Ministry was proportionate to answer and expose the methods used by the Opposition during the press conference and statement.

"The Nationalist Opposition was criticising the work done by the Ministry, which is why the response came from the Ministry," Dalli said, adding that in no way during the writing and publication of the statement did she underestimate or neglect the principle of impartiality of the public service or public officials.

"In my work, I give all the necessary consideration, including to the public officials who work in the Ministry I lead and beyond, as required by Article 7.4 of the Code of Ethics for Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries. Moreover, the information provided by the Ministry in no way diminishes respect for the principle of impartiality of the Department of Information," Dalli said.

The minister concluded by saying that she feels that the statements issued by the Ministry reflect this and that she will do her utmost to ensure that the communication issued by the Ministry contains nothing that could be interpreted as a partisan tone, regardless of the circumstances.

The Office of the Commissioner said that after examining the content of the statement in question, it concluded that there are parts of it - specifically those that refer to the Opposition party - that go beyond what should be contained in official statements issued by a government department.

"It appears that even the Minister acknowledged this in the last part of her response," the report said.

The Office said it believes that official statements issued by the government should always be factual and not partisan, even if they are issued in response to partisan criticism.

"If a Minister feels the need to respond to criticism in a partisan manner, they can use their personal social media or their political party's resources, as is often done. Therefore, the representative's conclusion is that this case represents a violation of Articles 4.9, 4.10, and 7.4 of the Code of Ethics for Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries," the report said.

He took account that three and a half years have passed since the last breach of ethics, and Dalli was not part of the executive in either cases at the time.

On 4 July, the Office wrote to Dalli to propose her issuing an apology due to the partisan nature of the official press release.

She replied on 9 August of this year, saying that she will ensure that there will be no press release containing any partisan tone or nature issued by the Ministry, and apologised for the tone of the press release in question.