In a recently published statement, MEP David Casa, Head of the PN Delegation in the European Parliament, underlined that Malta will be compelled to enhance anti-corruption legislation, irrespective of the position of Prime Minister Robert Abela. Casa, who has been a negotiator of the European People’s Party on the EU’s Combatting Corruption Directive, said something very clear about the Maltese government’s decision to protect civil servants from liability in case of wrongdoing. He warned that these could be incompatible with new EU legislation to close loopholes in anti-corruption laws.
The Anti-Corruption Directive is the first EU policy to harmonise national laws against corruption offenses. The directive would create a minimum threshold for offenses and new rules for sentencing and statute limitations. David Casa denounced how, in some member states, politicians who have become corrupt consistently defeat anti-corruption measures. He also made it clear that the directive will ensure all member states apply stringent anti-corruption measures to prevent any government from passing laws which may serve as a protective shield for corrupt officials.
This development comes as the European Parliament and the Council, under the Polish presidency, prepare for their first inter-institutional meeting to discuss the directive. Casa’s statement has again marked the commitment by the EU to imposing high anti-corruption standards on all member states, including Malta.
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