[WATCH] Abela suggests Clint Camilleri will not resign after Standards Committee report

Prime Minister Robert Abela has indicated Clint Camilleri will not resign over the employment of Amanda Muscat as policy consultant within the Gozo Ministry.

“With the Standards Committee sanctions, the funds which will be refunded and a debate on the manual of resourcing, policies and procedures, which regulates the hiring of ministerial consultants, for me the final sanctions reflect the breach in ethics,” Abela told journalists at Castille on Friday.

He was speaking after a press conference on the announcement of a new collective agreement for public service workers, which will add €1.3 billion to the current government wage bill over six years.

Having described public service workers as the “backbone of the country”, the PM was asked whether such a comment was insulting to them, given Camilleri had employed the wife of then-minister Clayton Bartolo as policy consultant, but had practically not done anything.

The PM denied claims Muscat did not do anything, saying the report states otherwise.

“The Standards Report does not say that. We have one government which is divided into a number of ministries, and the person involved gave her service to the country in a role,” he said.

Pressed on the fact that she had performed duties which were not connected to her role as consultant, Abela replied by saying the difference in wage will be paid back.

“The issue stemmed from the fact that she was in a role, but eventually was promoted to a higher paid role, and continued to do her previous duties. The difference in salary will be refunded fully, and the public funds have been recovered. The €16,400 difference will be refunded,” Abela said.

He also said Bartolo, no longer remains minister due to fresh revelations on alleged kickbacks. Bartolo resigned from minister on Tuesday after his wife was implicated in a separate case of alleged money laundering. The Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit had flagged suspicious payments she received last year to the tune of €50,000, from a company linked to a person who was contracted by the Malta Tourism Authority.

“He is now no longer minister and Labour parliamentary group MP, and you also had the remedies and sanctions from the committee,” he said.