Inconclusive: Hyzler's probe into Abela's chats with taxman goes nowhere

A probe into Prime Minister Robert Abela potentially abusing his power by discussing Bernard Grech’s tax affairs with the commissioner of the Inland Revenue Department has resulted inconclusive.

Standards Commissioner George Hyzler said he could not determine whether or not Abela had breached parliamentary ethics, as both Abela and former IRD Commissioner Marvin Gaerty had chosen not to answer his questions.

Hyzler was probing the matter at the request of independent candidate Arnold Cassola, who filed the application in December 2020 following two Times of Malta reports.

Times of Malta had reported that police were hoping to unlock Gaerty’s phone which included, among other things, a discussion between himself and Abela about PN leader Bernard Grech’s tax affairs. 

Abela told journalists that he had been told that Grech was not paying his taxes and had passed that information over to Gaerty.

But the prime minister declined to confirm that statement in writing with Hyzler as part of the commissioner’s ethics probe. Instead, he wrote Hyzler a brief letter in which he argued that “if Cassola is convinced that I am at fault, then he should identify the fault and substantiate...