[WATCH] Abela ‘establishing facts’ before deciding on Ian Borg direct order to adviser’s daughter

Prime Minister Robert Abela questioned over €60,000 direct order to newly-graduated law student daughter of Ian Borg advisor

Prime Minister Robert Abela
Prime Minister Robert Abela

Prime Minister Robert Abela said that he will not shy away from taking any decisions over a €60,000 direct order to the daughter of Minister Ian Borg’s adviser. 

However, he told MaltaToday that he still had to establish the facts surrounding the case. 

The Times of Malta reported on Monday that Adreana Zammit, serving as a junior lawyer, had been awarded a €62,400 contract by the Transport Ministry through a direct order in October 2019, three months before receiving her warrant. 

She was also awarded an additional €46,142 direct order in August 2020 for a six-month legal consultation agreement. The contracts earned Zammit at least €108,542. 

Adreana Zammit is the daughter of Jesmond Zammit, Ian Borg's top adviser within his ministry.

Speaking to MaltaToday outside parliament, Abela said that he only got to know of the case from the media report on Monday.  

“Any decision that needs to be taken, as I have always done in the last months, will be taken,” he said

However, he noted that Zammit had already graduated when she was employed, and the warrant was needed to practice in court. 

Transport Minister Ian Borg did not answer questions put forward by journalists when queried outside parliament. 

Only last month, Abela ordered Education Minister Justyne Caruana to rescind a €5,000-per-month consultancy awarded to her close friend Daniel Bogdanovich after the contract was exposed by MaltaToday.

READ ALSO: Cassola requests ethics probe into Ian Borg over €60,000 direct order to adviser’s daughter