Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1231020
3 Former fisheries director now on unpaid leave, still under investiga- tion K ARL A ZZOPARDI A precautionary suspension against the former fisheries director Andreina Fenech Farrugia, has been lifted but the government officer remains on unpaid leave. Fenech Farrugia was suspended from her role after Spanish investigators in a tuna laundering bust revealed she had demanded money from the Fuentes tuna ranching boss on a separate, Spanish mo- bile phone number. The case remains under police investiga- tion, MaltaToday was told by the police. A Spanish investigation had alleged that Fenech Farrugia used her role as director of fisheries in Malta to try and regularise illegal tuna catches. Her name cropped up in Operation Tarantella, an investigation by the Spanish environmental police which led to s e v e r a l a r r e s t s i n 2018. Allegations also surfaced that she had demanded money from major Span- ish Bluefin tuna kingpin, Jose Fuentes Garcia. The police said that Fenech Farrugia is still the subject of a magisterial inquiry. However, the ministry for agriculture lift her precautionary suspension on 26 February 2020. A spokesperson said she is now on unpaid leave and that the minis- try has no intention of reassigning Fenech Farrugia to an official role. "There is no intention to reappoint Andreina Fenech Farrugia," the ministry said. The former fisheries secretary had pledged Malta's full collaboration in the investigations. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 APRIL 2020 NEWS Always keep in touch C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Coronavirus - New Advert Eng & Mlt - 2020 (5) Final.pdf 1 03/04/2020 12:26:47 cation carried forward from 2019, and for all 2020; then work reduced hours, with corresponding reduction in salary that will range from 40% to 80%; if the situation deteriorates, workers will go on forced unpaid leave, be- ing called in to work on an 'as needed' basis, being remuner- ated only for hours effectively worked. Apart from this, the airline is proposing a maximum €1,200 monthly salary in considera- tion for the UCC to accept the revocation of an annual salary adjustment where actual sala- ries are grossed up at the end of the year to equate to the employee's take home pay. "This adjustment mecha- nism would clearly cancel out any efforts by the company to cut costs in this difficult time and its continued application would unavoidably lead to forcing the company into de- claring redundancies," work- ers were told by Air Malta. Andreina Fenech Farrugia