Standards Commissioner asked to investigate Bogdanovic €5,000-a-month job

Independent candidate Arnold Cassola has requested an ethics investigation by the Standards Commissioner into a €5,000-a-month contract to Ghajnsielem coach Daniel Bogdanovic, by the education ministry.

In his request to commissioner George Hyzler, Cassola claimed Bogdanovic was a boyfriend of minister Justyne Caruana.

The story was broken by MaltaToday on Sunday, where it was reported that Bogdanovic was given a €15,000 contract to carry out a three-month survey of sports education curricula across various Maltese schools.

The education ministry has previously denied that Bogdanovic, who obtained government employment through the Community Work Scheme, was a member of the minister’s secretariat despite evidence to the contrary.

In a statement, the NGO Repubblika called Caruana’s decision to give Bogdanovic the contract “nasty and unacceptable behaviour”.

“Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Malta, more than a year ago, the Ministry of Education has stopped payments for scholarships for many students, it has also stopped payments for educational projects in schools and left teachers with old and outdated laptops to teach children online while schools are closed,” Repubblika said.

“This footballer, who has no qualifications in the education sector, has been hired to, among others, tour schools in a period where schools are closed due to COVID-19.

“At a time when every penny should go to mitigate the impact that students are suffering because of the COVID-19 measures, the minister is going to squander the people’s money on her friend. What will Robert Abela do about Minister Justyne Caruana?” the NGO asked.