Standards czar finds no ethics breach by Zammit Lewis in contract awarded to lawyer

Standards Commissioner George Hyzler finds no evidence of clientelism in Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis's decision to award a direct order to a lawyer from his electoral district • Lawyer was originally employed before Zammit Lewis took charge of the portfolio

Standards Commissioner finds no ethical breaches in Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis's (pictured) decision to renew lawyer's contract
Standards Commissioner finds no ethical breaches in Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis's (pictured) decision to renew lawyer's contract

Standards Commissioner George Hyzler has found no ethics breach by Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis when he granted a direct order to lawyer Chery Azzopardi.

Hyzler investigated the matter after a complaint filed by ADPD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo. The direct order was for a contract of €50,000.

The lawyer is the daughter of a former aide to ex-minister Chris Cardona.

A report in The Shift News claimed the Justice Minister awarded the direct order to strengthen his hand on the 8th District by attracting canvassers that once supported Cardona.

In his investigations, Hyzler asked the minister to verify a statement he gave MaltaToday in which he had insisted that Azzopardi was one of the first lawyers to be engaged with a contract for service within the Directorate for Human Rights (HRD) when it was set up in 2015 as the Directorate for Human Rights and Integration. Zammit Lewis was serving as tourism minister at the time and had nothing to do with the lawyer's engagement.

Zammit Lewis said that when he was appointed Equality Minister in July 2019, he re-affirmed the contract for Azzopardi in the directorate since she had been "knowledgeable and fit for purposes".

Hyzler asked for a copy of four contracts that covered the periods of Azzopardi's employment between November 2016 and March 2020. He also reviewed her current contract of service.

The commissioner said that after reviewing the contracts, he concluded that there was no attempt by the minister to gain some sort of political advantage by awarding the direct order, since he was not responsible for the lawyer's original engagement.

Azzopardi’s latest contract, awarded during Zammit Lewis’s time as justice minister, retained the same hourly rate but increased the number of hours she can be paid for in her 12-month contract. Her hours increased from 1,040 to 1,200.

Hyzler said the minister's decision to renew the contract was a measure of continuity and found there was no breach in ethics.