Vice-President Irene Charalambides and Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg, Valletta, 14 June 2024VALLETTA, 15 June 2024 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice-President and Special Representative on Fighting Corruption Irene Charalambides (Cyprus) has concluded a two-day visit to Malta. During her visit, she met with Members of the Maltese Delegation to the OSCE PA, Amanda Spiteri Grech and Alex Muscat, and representatives of Maltese institutions and civil society organizations (CSOs) dedicated to combating corruption.
The primary objectives of her visit were to understand ongoing reforms within relevant Maltese institutions, develop partnerships with local stakeholders, and promote greater awareness of the security and democratic threats posed by corruption.
“To effectively fight corruption, it is essential to strengthen and train the relevant institutions to be more efficient in their daily challenges,” Charalambides stated. “This approach must include bolstering accountability mechanisms, sharing experiences with other countries facing similar issues, and building partnerships with international organizations.”
On 13-14 June, Special Representative Charalambides held discussions with Hon. Emeritus Justice Lawrence Quintano, Head of the Permanent Commission Against Corruption; Johan Galea, Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Justice, Equality and Governance; and Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg. She also met with representatives of CSOs, including Occupy Justice and Repubblika.
In these meetings, Charalambides highlighted the role of the OSCE PA and her work as Special Representative in preventing and fighting corruption. She emphasized the OSCE PA’s focus on the interconnections between corruption, stability, security, and democracy, sharing insights into her recent activities in this field.
“Political will, independent institutions, investigative journalism, and civil society organizations, supported by robust laws, can achieve significant results in combating corruption,” Charalambides said. “As we know, corruption is a phenomenon where the vast majority loses and a tiny minority wins. That is why we must all fight corruption together.”
Charalambides further underscored the importance of international co-operation in combating corruption, particularly with small countries facing similar challenges to Malta. The Special Representative also discussed ongoing reforms in Malta, both in legislation and within independent institutions.
Vice-President Charalambides stressed her commitment to raising awareness within the Assembly about the urgency of effectively combating corruption at all levels. As Special Representative, she promotes understanding of the security threats stemming from corruption, facilitates co-operation on anti-corruption issues within the OSCE PA among all delegations, and fosters high-level partnerships with the OSCE Chairmanship, OSCE executive structures, and relevant international stakeholders.
Charalambides is expected to report on her recent activities as Special Representative at the upcoming Annual Session in Bucharest, where she will also present her supplementary item “Preventing Corruption from being used as a Foreign Policy Tool.”
For more information on the work of the Special Representative on Fighting Corruption, please click here.
