Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1503864
15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 JULY 2023 NEWS defamed by untrue allegations MCAST apology the reputation of the teachers went ignored. It was only former MCAST rector Stephen Cachia who, in comments to the press, said that no allegation of sexual abuse was ever made in the Pathway inquiry. Cachia in fact said the alleged be- haviour had not occurred in the presence of students, and that he had serious reservations over the way the report was investigated "since (he) felt that a serious injus- tice was being made towards the lecturers concerned." Cachia in fact pointed his fin- ger at former HR head Josephine Abdilla of having "implemented a strategy of manipulation and de- ceit" to have the false allegations investigated in the first place and said that he had been left in the dark about Galea Pirotta's claims. Serious allegations disproven Now the teachers affected by the Pathway inquiry are accusing MCAST's board of governors – specifically two members who formed part of the Pathway in- quiry – of carrying out an unfair due process. They say a third member of the inquiry board, was the parent of one of the Pathway students, be- ing personally invested against the programme itself. And yet, the Pathway board did not even inform the teachers of the real allegations that had sparked the inquiry, making them believe they were answering the inquiry over the outcomes of the Pathway pro- gramme. "A superficial analysis of the Pathway inquiry report shows this was not a fact-finding exercise but simply an act of condemnation. The board worked to confirm a prejudiced outcome, having not had the decency to inform the ac- cused of the real allegations made against them," the teachers say in their judicial protest. Additionally, the Pathway in- quiry ended up ignoring the teachers' testimonies, even dis- carding the original Galea Pirotta accusations. "What was actually told to the Pathway inquiry was that one night, a certain J.D., who was sharing a room with a plain- tiff, woke up at night in the dark to see the plaintiff closing the door, and saw 'half of her body' undressed... Galea Pirotta alleged that the plaintiff had been fully naked," the teachers said in their judicial protest. "The inquiry still proceeded to conclude that there had been 'one indecent act of nudism in the vicinity of students', which conclusion was not even contrasted with the testimony of the plaintiff, nor even made ev- ident from the testimony of J.D. themselves." The same was said of other alle- gations of alcohol consumption, in which witness C.M. claimed the teachers did not look "sharp- ish", after a bottle of wine was pro- duced by one of them. The board instead used the word "tipsy" to find for the allegation. Other disproven allegations in- cluded claims of petty theft, when the teachers had been using Chap- laincy donations for personal care items; a claim that crucifixes were being removed from classrooms; apart from the board's homopho- bia when it asked two teachers whether they were "gay" or "mar- ried" or in a same-sex relationship. "We were labelled by the board of inquiry as forming part of a clique of bullies and being of 'an outspoken nature', as if the latter was something deplorable... we were never even shown a copy of this inquiry and it was ultimately leaked to the media," the teachers said. The teachers accused the inquiry of taking on board the accusations reported by Abdilla lock, stock and barrel in such a manner as to clamp down on the Pathway's live ins, having been enabled by the animosity of other LSAs and the teachers' union shop steward against the Pathway programme. The teachers said they want the court to decree that the 2017 Pathway Inquiry Report be either cancelled or revoked or corrected and annotated by the facts identi- fied in the 2019 Bonello inquiry. They also want all charge letters and written warnings in their em- ployment files to be revoked, giv- en that there issued in breach of their collective agreement. The plaintiffs are demanding a public apology for the injustice they suffered, as well as the for the necessary steps to be taken against Josephine Abdilla and Denise Galea Pirotta, and the inquiry board members who are also still members of the MCAST board of governors. Josephine Abdilla case Earlier this year, a court dis- missed a libel case filed against MaltaToday by Josephine Abdilla. MaltaToday had first reported in August 2021 that Abdilla's alle- gations of corruption had been disproved by a ministerial inquiry. That inquiry had been launched in 2018 after Abdilla was placed on forced leave following com- plaints by her co-workers. The inquiry dismissed all of her allegations and noted that whistle- blowers had come forward saying they had been pressured by Abdil- la in selecting favoured candidates for MCAST teaching jobs. As confirmed in court, Abdilla had lied under oath in her testi- mony before the Bonello inquiry, which revealed that she had cre- ated an atmosphere of unpleas- antness and tension amongst staff and teachers through oppressive behaviour and bullying tactics; and that her claims of corruption and blackmail had been discredit- ed by the inquiry. The magistrate also described as "worrying" the fact that no ac- tion appeared to have been taken against Abdilla by the authorities, in spite of a conclusion by its own board which found that she had acted irregularly and possibly il- legally. Witness evidence also conclu- sively proved that Abdilla had tried to exert pressure on the members of a board interviewing candidates for the post of English teacher, in a way that favoured an unworthy candidate. Abdilla was also reported as having intervened in an irregular manner in the re- cruitment process, while trying to influence the board to illegally dis- criminate against candidates and award "false and fabricated marks to the candidates she indicated." Evidence tendered by several witnesses described aggression, bullying, shouting and humilia- tion at the hands of Abdilla. mvella@mediatoday.com.mt SUNDAY • 8 AUGUST 2021 • ISSUE 1136 • PUBLISHED SUNDAY AND WEDNESDAY maltatoday Turkish refugees 20 YEARS' WAIT OVER 0.02g OF CANNABIS It's not just the drug laws: it's the way police and courts function PAGE 6 TRUTH IS OF NO COLOUR WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT MATTHEW VELLA A top MCAST executive whose allegations of corruption were disproved by a ministerial in- quiry, was reported to the police on grounds of perjury. Yet no action has been taken against former HR manager Josephine Abdilla, who is believed to still be receiving a full wage despite while suspended – four full years after the inquiry was con- cluded. The ministerial inquiry was launched in 2018 after Abdil- la was placed on forced leave following complaints by her co-workers. A figure reviled by staff and teachers for her abrasive and suborning behaviour, Abdilla alleged corruption and bribery at the heart of MCAST's oper- ations in an angry email to the education ministry. But when the ministry re- sponded with an official inquiry into the serious claims, all alle- gations were disproved. Instead, the tables were turned against her: whistleblowers came for- ward saying they had been pres- sured by Abdilla in selecting fa- voured candidates for MCAST teaching jobs. Yet the inquiry report remains unpublished to this day. Fathers call for compassion over post-coup purge escape PG 4 Whistleblowers pressured to select favoured MCAST teachers Call +356 2122 4405 E-mail info@laferla.com.mt Visit www.laferla.com.mt Laferla Insurance Agency Ltd. is enrolled under the Insurance Distribution Act, Cap 487 of the Laws of Malta to act as an Insurance Agent for MAPFRE Middlesea p.l.c. (MMS). MMS (C-5553) is authorised by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) under the Insurance Business Act, Cap 403 of the Laws of Malta. Both entities are regulated by the MFSA. EXPERIENCE LED TRUST WORTHY PROMPTNESS GUARANTEED FAIRNESS FOCUSED PAGE 13 Labour's billboard war exposes its inability to confront its Yorgen bromance problem 14-15 Ministry mum over police action on former MCAST executive still out on 'forced leave' despite 2018 inquiry board's report of perjury and favouritism PAGE 3 €1.95 GRAZZI GAHAN THANK YOU YORGEN Minister will not resign despite friendship with murder suspect Yorgen Fenech and insists he "always acted with integrity" Zammit Lewis will not resign, apologises for 'gahan' quip