NGO Repubblika on Saturday criticised Jean Claude Micallef, chief executive of the Authority for Integrity in Maltese Sport (AIMS), for threatening a whistleblower over an embarrassing document leak.

"This conduct detracts from the essential role of whistleblowers in promoting transparency and accountability within institutions," the NGO said in a statement.

Speaking on RTK103 on Saturday, Micallef reacted to a controversy sparked after Times of Malta revealed that AIMS - a regulatory body tasked with combating match-fixing - had hired a former footballer who had previously been convicted of attempting to bribe another footballer. The former footballer was not engaged despite having signed the work contract.

The news report led the minister responsible for sports, Clifton Grima, to rebuke the authority.

Micallef dismissed reports as "sour grapes" and claimed he was the victim of a campaign to discredit him.

Repubblika said the Whistleblower Protection Act remains deeply defective, offering no protection to workers who report irregularities. The recent controversy at AIMS shows how whistleblowers in Malta continue to face retaliation instead of protection.

The organisation again called for urgent legislative reforms, including the establishment of an independent whistleblowing agency and stronger safeguards to ensure whistleblowers can come forward without fear of repercussions.