A report by the Standards Commissioner confirms that this Government is now discriminating even against voluntary organisations, the Nationalist Party said Tuesday. It is clear that, for this government, some NGOs are considered far more important than others.

Many non-governmental organisations carry out invaluable work for the benefit of society across a wide range of sectors. Yet it appears that some are being privileged over others.

The Standards Commissioner has found that rules governing non-governmental organisations were breached when two NGOs chaired by Michelle Muscat, the wife of former Labour Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, at one point had five Civil Service employees seconded to them, all paid for by taxpayers' money. Two of these employees were reportedly assigned to begin their working day from the former Prime Minister's residence and to drive Michelle Muscat's children to school.

All this took place while other organisations struggle daily to make ends meet in order to continue providing their services to the public, the PN said.

According to the rules of the Office of the Prime Minister, an NGO may have no more than one seconded Civil Service employee. Yet, for reasons that remain unexplained, in the case of Michelle Muscat, her NGOs were granted preferential treatment and became exceptions to the rule.

Among other findings, the Standards Commissioner also established that there were no written contracts governing the employment of these workers with Michelle Muscat's NGOs.

This is a government that discriminates even among NGOs, the PN said. This has now been confirmed by the Standards Commissioner himself, who stated that discrimination had occurred because Michelle Muscat's NGOs were granted benefits that other NGOs are not entitled to under the rules.

PL responds

In response, the PL said that it remains committed to investing in NGOs and their work.

"The Nationalist Party is distorting the decision of the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life in an attempt to cast an unfair shadow over the Government and certain public officials. In reality, the Commissioner for Standards rejected the complaint filed by Arnold Cassola and, in the conclusion of the report, stated that he found no involvement by Prime Minister Robert Abela in granting preferential treatment to the Marigold Foundation and the National Alliance for Rare Diseases. This means that, contrary to what the Nationalist Party is alleging, the Commissioner for Standards did not find the Prime Minister guilty of granting preferential treatment to any NGO. It is shameful that the Nationalist Party is trying to capitalize on the Commissioner for Standards' report to score political points and, worse still, is attempting to tarnish the valuable work carried out by this Government in relation to NGOs."

"A Labour Government remains committed to continuing to invest in NGOs, including an investment of more than €17 million which has translated into 1,800 different projects to support the work of voluntary organisations, including through the implementation of the measures in Budget 2026 and the Electoral Manifesto Malta Flimkien. The Labour Party recognises the contribution made by voluntary organisations and thanks them for the work they carry out in the community, delivering services and projects across various sectors that are making a difference in people's lives"