Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1205478
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 29 JANUARY 2020 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The €80,000 contract was signed by Mizzi and MTA CEO Johann Buttigieg and is dated 9 Decem- ber, just two weeks after Mizzi resigned from tourism minister in the midst of a political storm. The consultancy agreement was kept hidden. Mizzi was entitled to a retainer fee of €6,700 per month, which equates to more than €80,000 per year. He was also entitled to a fully-expensed car with driver. If Mizzi opted to use his person- al car instead, he was entitled to a yearly lump sum of €11,400. The three-year deal was unlike other contracts for persons of trust that can be terminated upon change in minister. The former tourism minister tried to secure a fail-safe agree- ment which could only be termi- nated if either of the parties failed to fulfil their obligations. The government has not pub- lished the legal advice it received but it appears to have found a way of terminating the agreement. The Opposition yesterday called for the contract to be discussed in par- liament's public ac- counts committee. Opposition lead- er Adrian Delia said the PAC should de- termine whether the contract followed public spending rules, whether the MTA board approved it and whether permis- sion was sought from the Finance Ministry. Mizzi resigned from minister soon after businessman Yorgen Fenech was arrested in connec- tion with the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder in November. Fenech's Dubai company, 17 Black, was a target client for the Panama companies opened by Mizzi and former chief of staff Keith Schembri. The connection between the three men be- came more toxic after Fenech was accused of being the master- mind in the Caruana Galizia murder. Fenech is a share- holder in the Elec- trogas consortium that won the multi-million gas power station contract at a time when Mizzi was energy minister. Mizzi and Schembri have always denied wrongdoing with the for- mer minister insisting he did not know anything about 17 Black and its ownership. Attempts to contact Mizzi and Buttigieg proved futile. Konrad Mizzi had €6,700 monthly retainer Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli MTA CEO Johann Buttigieg