Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said breached ethical standards when she used her name and political logo in a poster sent to employees to inform them about an event, Standards Commissioner Joseph Azzopardi has ruled.

Ministers and parliamentary secretaries must not use official activities as self-promotion platforms. Anyone found doing so will be considered in breach of ethical standards according to Maltese standards. 

In a recent statement, the Standards Commissioner shared his perspective following a complaint by raised by Independent Candidate Arnold Cassola.

The complaint alleged that Bugeja Said had invited her ministry’s employees to a political event she organised. Moreover, it raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest, given that she had organized the event with support from the tuna industry, an area she regulates.

However, it emerged that the event was, in fact, an official team-building activity for ministry employees.

While the activity included a visit to fish farms, the only role of the fish farm operators was to provide transportation to the farms and explain their operations.

Consequently, the Commissioner found no conflict of interest on Bugeja Said’s part.

Nevertheless, she was deemed to have breached ethical standards because she used her name and political logo in a poster sent to employees to inform them about the event.

The Commissioner advised the Parliamentary Secretary that featuring her name in promotional material for an official activity could give the impression that she sought personal credit for the activity in the public eye, which should be avoided.

As a result, the Commissioner requested that Bugeja Said issue an apology and commit to refraining from such conduct in the future. She promptly responded with a letter in which she apologised and pledged not to repeat such actions.

Based on this apology, the Commissioner closed the case under article 22(5) of the Standards in Public Life Act, which allows for the closure of cases not deemed grave in nature when the person under investigation remedies the breach of ethics to the Commissioner’s satisfaction.