Muscat blasts ‘fake news’ as PN paper claims Schembri to be removed as chief of staff

PN paper Il-Mument claims Joseph Muscat looking to replace Keith Schembri as chief of staff with Transport Malta chief James Piscopo due to the former's 'serious health problems' • Prime Minister blasts story as 'fake news'

Il-Mument claimed that Keith Schembri will be replaced as chief of staff due to 'serious health problems'
Il-Mument claimed that Keith Schembri will be replaced as chief of staff due to 'serious health problems'

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has vehemently rejected reports in PN newspaper Il-Mument that he is looking to replace his chief of staff Keith Schembri as he is suffering from “serious health problems”.

The front-page report cited “sources close to Castille” as stating that Schembri is suffering from “serious health problems” that are prohibiting him from turning up to work. It claimed that Muscat has his eyes on Transport Malta chief executive James Piscopo, but that the former Labour Party CEO is reluctant to abandon the hefty financial package that comes with his current position.

“Schembri has not accompanied Muscat to public and political events in Malta and abroad for a long time,” the report said. “Sources have told us that this situation is untenable to the government, particularly in light of the fact that Malta will in a few weeks take up the EU rotating presidency.”

However, in a brief statement, Muscat blasted the report as “fake news…a lie from start to finish”.

“There is no vacancy for the position of chief of staff,” he said.

Il-Mument claimed that Muscat is actively searching to replace Keith Schembri – director of business group Kasco and the Prime Minister’s life-long friend – with James Piscopo, former Labour Party CEO.

However, the PN paper claimed that Piscopo has turned down the offer “because he doesn’t want to abandon his financial package as Transport Malta chief”.

In a tweet, Piscopo also dismissed the story as “fake news”, claiming “they have no idea what loyalty is”.

Keith Schembri was thrust into the limelight when it was revealed in the Panama Papers that he, along with minister Konrad Mizzi, had opened offshore companies.