Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1021976
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 SEPTEMBER 2018 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Details of his new salary were not available because, Engerer told MaltaToday, the contract was still being drafted by the OPM. He said he would show the newspaper his contract once it is finalised. Engerer's resignation from his Brussels posting coincid- ed with the appointment of Malta's new permanent rep- resentative to the EU, Daniel Azzopardi. Engerer was said to have been in the running for the top Brussels job but sources said that he and European Affairs minister Helena Dalli had clashed on certain mat- ters: a situation understood to have caused tension and contributed to his sidelining. He had told MaltaToday that he had informed the Prime Minister of his inten- tion to resign in February but that he was asked to remain in the position for a few months. Yesterday he told MaltaTo- day that he had been asked to keep a number of tasks after having resigned. "When I spoke to the Prime Minister about my intention of resigning from the posi- tion as his envoy to the Eu- ropean Union, I was asked to keep a number of tasks, especially relating to govern- ment's relations with the Eu- ropean Parliament, based on the experience achieved and contacts made during the previous four years, especially during Malta's Presidency of the Council of the European Union," Engerer told Malta- Today. When asked how many physical hours the new con- tract would demand in his posting, Engerer indicated he would no longer be involved in the family business. "I keep in constant con- tact with the Prime Minister, whether from Malta, Brussels or Strasbourg. It was my in- tention to partly focus on my family's business now that my father is on his way to retire- ment. That said, since I was asked to keep advising the Prime Minister on EU matters and since I was also asked by the Prime Minister to contest next year's European Parlia- ment election, it was clear that I could not offer the same time to the family business as my siblings did, hence I opted out." Details of Engerer's Brus- sels salary had been given in parliament by Joseph Muscat, who said that Engerer was his special envoy on a Scale 3 salary, which is tagged at €34,680. The government has not denied that his salary also comes with financial allow- ances of some €50,000, details of which were not mentioned in the reply to the PQ. Engerer, a one-time dep- uty mayor in Sliema for the Nationalist Party who later defected to Labour, ran for MEP on the Labour ticket in 2014, but had to withdraw his candidature when he was convicted on a revenge-porn charge, for which he received a two-year suspended sen- tence. He was an EU funds manag- er who after Labour's election to power was posted to two positions of trust in the min- istry for civil liberties and the Office of the Prime Minister. After his conviction, Mus- cat famously dubbed Engerer a "soldier of steel" during a public meeting, recruiting him as his advisor on EU af- fairs and later posting him to Brussels. His partner Randolph Deb- attista, was also posted as chef de cabinet to the permanent representative at the time, before returning to Malta to take up the post of Labour chief executive officer. mvella@mediatoday.com.mt a one-stop shop for all your investments At Bank of Valletta, we provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment needs. You can choose from a wide range of deposit products, life assurance, investment plans, investment funds, portfolio management and stockbroking services. BOV INVESTMENTS Visit any BOV branch or Investment Centre in Malta or Gozo to discuss your financial planning requirements and to set an appointment with one of our professional Financial Advisors. Issued by Bank of Valletta p.l.c., 58, Triq San Żakkarija, Il-Belt Valletta VLT 1130 More information is available from www.bov.com or contact 2131 2020. The value of investments may go down as well as up and may be affected by changes in currency exchange rates. Bank of Valletta p.l.c. is a public limited company regulated by the MFSA and is licensed to carry out investment services in terms of the Investment Services Act (Cap. 370 of the Laws of Malta). Bank of Valletta p.l.c. is an enrolled tied insurance intermediary of Mapfre M.S.V. Life p.l.c. Mapfre MSV Life is authorised by the MFSA to carry out long term business of insurance under the Insurance Business Act (Cap. 403 of the Laws of Malta). COM 1980 Engerer lands new advisory role Engerer was said to have been in the running for the top Brussels job but sources said that he and European Affairs minister Helena Dalli had clashed on certain matters