The Nationalist Party and the Labour Party have blamed each other after an ombudsman report on the state of the prison spoke of a "systemic maladministration" between 2018 and 2021.

The PN said that the evidence described in the report discloses for the period under examination that there was a total disregard of the Prisons Regulations on a systemic basis, with the ruling principle being 'I am the king, I am the law'".

This is one of the strong condemnations made by the Ombudsman in a report on the management of Corradino Prison under Alex Dalli between July 2018 and December 2021. The report found that during this period, racism and mistreatment were prevalent, and that the treatment of prisoners was humiliating and failed to uphold human dignity.

The PN, along with many others, had been calling for years for the Government to change the leadership of the Corradino Correctional Facility while it was under the control of Alex Dalli.

During Dalli's tenure, there was a record number of suicides and cases of self-harm among prisoners, the PN said. However, Minister Byron Camilleri and Prime Minister Robert Abela continued to defend Alex Dalli to the very end, despite the deaths that occurred.

The Ombudsman's condemnation is also a condemnation of the Minister and the Prime Minister, who had the power to remove Dalli and prevent many of the tragedies that took place in the prison. Yet, they chose to do nothing. Instead, they chose to defend him.

And when Dalli finally left his position at the Prison, Robert Abela ensured he remained satisfied, appointing him to a cushy job in Libya as a Migration Coordinator with a salary exceeding €100,000 per year, the PN said.

The Ombudsman's report was unequivocal in its conclusions, stating that he is morally convinced that the individuals who committed suicide and/or died in prison during this period were affected by the way they were treated in the facility.

This not only places direct blame on Alex Dalli but, even more so, places responsibility on Camilleri and Abela, who were fully aware of what was happening inside Corradino Prison.

Although the Ombudsman stated that it is not within his office's remit to determine who should bear political responsibility, Camilleri knows exactly who should be held accountable, the PN said.

This is a harsh and courageous report issued by the Ombudsman, and the PN said it hopes that today's prison administration fully adopts and implements the recommendations as soon as possible.

Furthermore, the PN expects the Government to take responsibility, as entrusted to it by the electorate, even in cases where it has failed, as has clearly happened in this case.

In its reply, the PL did not refer to the ombudsman's report but chose to attack the PN on what used to happen when the latter was in government.

When the PN was in Government, the situation at CCF was a mess.  Its track record on this matter is abysmal.

Court judgements at the time show that drug trafficking used to take place within the facilities, the PL said.

Today, the situation is different. Instead of following the PN's advice on how to lead the CFF or, worse, follow its example, the Labour Government turned a new page at the CCF.

Several initiatives have taken place to strengthen the rehabilitation and care of prisoners, as detailed in a statement from the Ministry for the Interior earlier, the PL said.

And whilst more needs to be done, however, the PN lacks credibility on this matter. Its track record when in government is shameful. CCF employees were left largely ignored by  PN administrations. They were often intimidated by the prisoners themselves, the PL said.

The long list of initiatives taken in the last years by the Labour Government ranges from investment in the professionals to the creation of new agreements with non-governmental organisations to improvements in the infrastructure of the prisons.

Under PN administrations, the prison was a hive for drug trafficking, the PL said.