Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1425206
8 ANALYSIS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 3 NOVEMBER 2021 JAMES DEBONO NO tender for legal services was issued by the Planning Author- ity after Robert Abela's firm re- nounced its brief when he became prime minister in January 2020. The case load is being handled "by a full-time in-house lawyer", a PA spokesperson confirmed. In June 2020, the authority is- sued a public vacancy to recruit a person "to provide legal advice to the executive chairman and the directorates on planning-related and other matters". Subsequently, lawyer Melanie Sammut – a former associate of Filetti & Filetti Advocates was ap- pointed assistant director of the authority's legal services. At that time a PA spokesperson told MaltaToday that a public tender for legal services was being drawn up but no such tender was ever issued. The PA has now re- verted back to having its own full- time lawyer. Roberta Abela's law firm, Abe- la Advocates, renounced the PA brief when he became prime min- ister in January last year. The lucrative contract was as- signed to Abela's father, George Abela, in 2001, when he was a partner with planning law expert Ian Stafrace, who was later ap- pointed to the PA as chief execu- tive under a Nationalist adminis- tration. The firm was contracted by the PA to take over the bulk of legal work when the authority's own head of legal services Anthony De Gaetano, accused the authority of mishandling a domestic planning matter concerning his property, due to alleged political influence. The PA paid the private firm, then known as Abela, Stafrace & Associates, a total of €1.23 million up until 2011 for handling its case- load. The firm was selected through an expression of interest and the contract was extended into 2013, and then renewed again for the fee of €107,263 annually and €54.99 for each hour of "additional work". In 2017, Abela Advocates re- ceived €110,000 for legal services offered to the Planning Authority. The law firm received €168,000 in 2016, €110,000 in 2015 and €88,000 in 2014 in retainers from the PA, awarded by direct order. During the leadership campaign Abela had backtracked on his in- itial declaration to MaltaToday that his wife and the family firm should not be denied the opportu- nity to bid for government work. Subsequently, Abela said he will aspire for higher ethical standards and insisted his wife Lydia Abela, a partner in the family legal firm, will not be bidding for work in the public sector. The firm subse- quently gave up its brief. After Abela became prime minister, PA opted for in- house lawyer The Planning Authority is no longer subcontracting its legal services to a private firm as it had done since 2001 but instead employs its own in-house lawyer