'Terminating Hillman contract was best for Malta Gaming Authority' - Clayton Bartolo

Adrian Hillman, the now notorious former director at Allied Newspapers, enjoyed several consultancy contracts with MGA prior to their termination

Adrian Hillman (left) and Clayton Bartolo (right)
Adrian Hillman (left) and Clayton Bartolo (right)

Tourism minister Clayton Bartolo admitted that terminating Adrian Hillman's consultancy contracts with the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) last year was the best course of action at the time.

In January 2020, Bartolo had announced on Twitter that a contract awarded to Hillman was terminated after learning that he had been taking payments intended for a private company through consultancies from the gaming authority.

Hillman had been appointed to the MGA in 2019 to manage its reputation, despite himself being subject to a magisterial inquiry on claims of money laundering.

"From the work that was being done at the time, I felt that removing the contract was the best thing to do for the MGA," Bartolo said on Tuesday.

The minister further confirmed that no libel case was ever brought against him in repsect to the matter. Hillman had accused Bartolo of making a libellous statement following his contract's termination.

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