A magisterial inquiry into Pilatus Bank cost €7.5 million, Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said in Parliament on Tuesday.
He was replying to a question by Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi.
Both Azzopardi and the minister did not mention the bank by name, but Times of Malta has confirmed that the question referred to Pilatus Bank.
The inquiry, by Magistrate Ian Farrugia, was concluded in December last year but its conclusions were not published.
Times of Malta had reported on December 14 that the voluminous inquiry report had been handed to the State Prosecutor to be assessed for possible criminal action. Sources had said that the report recommended criminal proceedings be initiated against a number of bank personnel.
A corrective mechanism to ensure gender parity in parliament has been approved at committee stage paving the way for more women to become MPs.
The mechanism only requires to be cleared at Third Reading stage in parliament and will be in place for the next general election.
If the under-represented sex comprises less than 40% of all seats after the election outcome is known, the mechanism will kick in to elect a maximum of 12 additional MPs – six on either side of the House.
It will only kick in if two parties are elected to parliament and will remain in force for 20 years.
Standards Commissioner George Hyzler has refuted Labour MPs’ claim that there have been leaks from his office and he is calling on the Speaker to initiate discussions on the publication of reports.
On Thursday, Labour MPs demanded an investigation into leaks from the Standards in Public Life Parliamentary Committee.
In a statement, Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis and government whip Glenn Bedingfield referred to a Newsbook article saying that a report by the Commissioner had found minister Carmelo Abela in breach of ethical standards when he used public funds to pay for newspaper adverts promoting himself.
Zammit Lewis and Bedingfield demanded an investigation into the leak.
Labour MPs request investigation into standards in public life parliamentary committee leak
Labour MPs Glen Bedingfield and Edward Zammit Lewis call on Speaker Anglu Farrugia to investigate leaks after standards in public life report on minister Carmelo Abela was disclosed to the press
8 April 2021, 8:00pm
by Karl Azzopardi
The Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis and government whip Glen Bedingfield have requested the Speaker of the House Anglu Farrugia to investigate leaks from the standards in public life parliamentary committee.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Labour Party said that once again a confidential report by the Standards Commissioner George Hyzler.
Labour MPs have demanded an investigation into leaks from the Standards in Public Life Parliamentary Committee.
In a statement on Thursday, Labour lamented that once again a report issued by Standards Commissioner George Hyzler had been leaked.
Reports are only kept under wraps until they are discussed by the committee when the Commissioner has found a breach of ethics.
The statement by Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis and government whip Glenn Bedingfield was referring to a Newsbook article published on Thursday morning, which stated that a report by the Standards Commissioner found minister Carmelo Abela in breach of ethical standards by using public funds to pay for newspaper adverts promoting himself.