Is Clyde Caruana in trouble over red budget bag? Karol Aquilina believes so

Clyde Caruana’s brand new red budget briefcase has Malta’s coat of arms emblazoned on it and at least one Opposition MP believes the minister could be in trouble over this.

Caruana paid for the new briefcase out of his personal funds given the practice that the bag is normally given to the finance minister when he ends the legislature.

The briefcase broke with the traditional black colour and is decorated with the republic’s coat of arms, and the words ‘Il-Ministru għall-Finanzi’ (the finance minister) and ‘Saħħa l-ħaddiem’ (strength to workers). A similar leather bag was retailing online for €3,800.

But it was the use of the coat of arms that caught Opposition MP Karol Aquilina’s eye this evening in parliament.

Aquilina asked the finance minister whether he was aware that use of the national coat of arms is regulated at law and its illegal use carries a penalty of €2,300 and an additional penalty of €2.33 per day of continued use.

Aquilina asked the minister: “Given that you paid for the budget bag from your personal funds, and your name does not appear on a list tabled in parliament of people who sought special permission to use the coat of arms, are you aware this is in breach of the law?” 

Caruana laughed off the question, insisting he was happy that the Opposition’s criticism of the budget was about the red bag.

“I have no problem answering questions when these make sense,” the minister later added to a jibe from Opposition MP Ivan Castillo over his non-answer.