Anti-Corruption Organisation Slams Michael Farrugia’s ‘Totally False’ Claims Blaming Daphne Foundation For Malta’s Corruption Ranking
Anti-corruption organisation Transparency International has issued a strong rebuke to Maltese MP Michael Farrugia, dismissing his claims that Malta’s lowest-ever score in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) was influenced by the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation.
The controversy emerged during a parliamentary session on Wednesday as Farrugia, a former Labour minister, addressed proposed reforms to magisterial inquiries.
In his closing remarks, he urged listeners to look up Malta’s national contact for Transparency International, implying a connection to the country’s decline in global corruption rankings.
Malta’s national contact for Transparency International is the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, an NGO established by the slain journalist’s family following her assassination in 2017.
Farrugia, who served as Home Affairs Minister at the time of her murder, suggested that this link might explain Malta’s poor performance on the CPI.
View this post on Instagram
However, Transparency International categorically denied these allegations. In a post on X, the organisation described Farrugia’s statement as “totally false,” clarifying that its Corruption Perceptions Index is constructed using 13 independent data sources, including the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, and the Economist Intelligence Unit — none of which are affiliated with the Daphne Foundation.
“The responsibility for Malta’s poor performance on the Index belongs to the government alone,” Transparency International declared.
The organisation highlighted systemic issues such as abuses of power by officials, criminal charges against former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, and the ongoing fallout from the Vitals and Steward Healthcare scandal as primary contributors to Malta’s CPI decline.
Malta’s CPI score has dropped to 46 out of 100, marking the first time it has fallen below 50 since its inclusion in the index in 2012.
Transparency International emphasised that rather than casting blame on civil society organisations, the government should collaborate with them to strengthen anti-corruption efforts and reinforce the rule of law.