FOI Request For Minutes Of Confrontational ORNIS Meeting Rejected ‘With Good Reason’
Minutes of a confrontational ORNIS committee meeting that included an alleged physical attack will be kept under lock and key after the Ministry of Gozo rejected a Freedom of Information request by Lovin Malta.
“With reference to your request received by Ministry for Gozo MGOZ, we regret to inform you that your request/complaint cannot be met because: by virtue of Part V or Part VI, there is good reason for withholding the document requested,” it said.
Lovin Malta had requested a copy of the minutes after it was revealed by BirdLife Malta that an argument had erupted during the meeting which led to an alleged physical altercation.
According to claims, the Federation for Hunting & Conservation’s (FKNK) CEO Lino Farrugia allegedly attacked the head of the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) Richard Lia during a recent ORNIS Committee meeting.
Following the alleged physical attack, the Committee Chairman had to suspend the meeting. Farrugia later suspended himself from the ORNIS committee.
According to the response, the request could not be met by virtue of Part V in Article 36 (1) of the FOI Act.
Article 36 of the FOI Act states that “a document is an exempt document if its disclosure under this Act would disclose matter in the nature of, or relating to, opinions, advice or recommendations obtained, prepared or recorded, or consultation or deliberation that has taken place, in the course of, or for the purposes of, the deliberative processes involved in the functions of the Government or another public authority”.
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