Furore among PN MPs as Rosianne Cutajar motion reveals inconvenient truth

An Opposition motion calling for independent MP Rosianne Cutajar to return money from a past consultancy has caused a stir in the PN parliamentary group.

The parliamentary motion asks Cutajar to return money she was paid as a consultant to the CEO of the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) in 2019. A National Audit Office probe found her employment to be irregular and fraudulent.

But Nationalist MPs at the parliamentary group meeting on Wednesday, who were granted anonymity to speak freely about internal matters, told MaltaToday the motion has raised concerns among several MPs. The objecting MPs fear the motion can backfire and put them in a bad light.

MPs had already raised concerns that the motion was moved by PN leader Bernard Grech without consultation with the parliamentary group.

Independent MP Rosianne Cutajar (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

A National Audit Office (NAO) report a fortnight ago showed that Cutajar’s employment as a consultant for ITS was “illegitimate, in breach of regulations” and the contract’s backdating “irregular”.

Subsequently, the PN announced it plans to file a motion in parliament demanding that Cutajar return the money she was paid through the phantom job.

In the parliamentary meeting, the two most vociferous questioning the motion were MPs David Agius and Justin Schembri. The two MPs are employed with the government or government-owned entities.

David Agius is currently employed as HR manager at the Malta Freeport, while Justin Schembri holds the post of teacher at the Examinations Department.

MP and Nationalist MEP candidate David Agius (left) and MP Justin Schembri (right) (Photos: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

Questions have been raised about the absence of MPs from their ordinary place of work with the public service despite being paid their full wages.

“Rosianne Cutajar’s situation may not compare with MPs having jobs within government entities, but yes, concerns were raised that the motion might end up backfiring, because of the fact that there has been an unwritten agreement between the two sides that we can be absent from our place of work,” an MP present at the parliamentary group meeting told this newspaper.

In the meeting former deputy leader Mario de Marco commented that MPs working in government departments should make sure they do not skive from work.

An MP hit back at de Marco’s comments, saying “God knows how many times” he received consultancy fees with Malta Enterprise under a Labour administration “for doing next to nothing”.

Nationalist MP Mario Demarco (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

Other MPs who spoke to this newspaper suggested pressure to file the motion came from the PN’s MEPs in a bid to reel back candidate David Agius’s European election campaigning “during work hours”.

Another concern raised was that the party was wasting its energy and resources on an MP who has already been ousted by the Prime Minister.

Cutajar was forced to resign from the Labour Party earlier this year after WhatsApp exchanges from 2019 with murder suspect Yorgen Fenech were leaked to a blogger, who dumped them online.

She resigned from the party but remained an independent MP.

“Listen I am not here to advocate for Rosianne Cutajar, I don’t feel her place is in politics, but there is a reality that we are directing our energy towards an independent MP. Robert Abela has already removed her from government’s parliamentary group and has a way out for any criticism directed towards him or her,” one of the PN MPs who disagrees with the motion said.

Others raised the issue that Rosianne Cutajar has become “an easy target”, saying there are more pressing and recent issues which need to be addressed.

“There is Charles Buhagiar’s appointment as Building and Construction Consultative Council chair for example. Why are we not filing a motion on that?” another Nationalist MP told this newspaper.

The motion is unlikely to be debated anytime soon since it will have to be put on the agenda on the day reserved for Opposition motions. However, with the disquiet it has caused within the PN parliamentary group it will not come as a surprise if it gets put on the backburner.