Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1529892
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 27 NOVEMBER 2024 NEWS PN to hold protest on Monday The Nationalist Party will be protesting outside parlia- ment on Monday to call for the removal of Gozo Minis- ter Clint Camilleri. The protest will be the second in as many weeks, related to the ethics breach committed by Camilleri and former minister Clayton Bar- tolo. Speaking in parliament on Tuesday evening, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said people power forced Clay- ton Bartolo to resign. "Given Clint Camilleri's refusal to do likewise, we will be calling on the people to protest once again outside parliament to demand the minister's resig- nation," Grech said. The protest will be held on Monday evening when the last budget estimates debate will be held. TUESDAY morning saw the resignation of tourism minister Clayton Bartolo, fol- lowing almost three weeks of mounting pressure for him to shoulder political re- sponsibility for giving his then-girlfriend an unjustified salary increase for a job she was not qualified for. On 7 November, a Standards Commis- sioner report revealed that Bartolo's wife, Amanda Muscat worked as Bartolo's pri- vate secretary despite being employed by the Gozo Ministry after developing aro- mantic relationship with Bartolo. The investigation, prompted by a request filed by Arnold Cassola, found that Mus- cat penned no reports and gave no writ- ten opinions or advice as a consultant to either of the ministers, and her role was effectively one of coordinator between en- tities and stakeholders, apart from private secretary. Despite this, the damning report was not enough to merit a resignation, as an apol- ogy from Bartolo was considered sufficient for Prime Minister Robert Abela. But on Tuesday, everything changed, as Abela stated that information that came to light "in recent hours," that are separate from the standards czar's findings merited Bartolo's resignation. Abela did not give any details, however, a Times of Malta article published a few hours later revealed that Bartolo's wife re- ceived tens of thousands of euros from a private firm suspected to be a kickback re- lated to a Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) contract. The Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) flagged the €50,000 in transactions to the police were reportedly made over six months by a company linked to an MTA contractor. The FIAU investigation focused on Mus- cat's work for a company associated with Italian cyclist Valerio Agnoli in 2023. In 2021, Agnoli was hired by the MTA to promote cycling tourism and formalised a €20,000 annual agreement in 2023. Amanda Muscat began working for an Agnoli-linked company in 2023, 18 months after leaving her unjustified ministry con- sultant role, and ended the assignment in December. Investigators believe Muscat's payments might be tied to an MTA-related kickback. On Tuesday the Prime Minister said that Bartolo did not only resign from cabinet, adding that he has also exited from the PL's parliamentary group. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and foreign affairs minister Ian Borg will be taking over the massive tourism portfolio. Abela then changed his tone when asked whether he believes Amanda Muscat should return her unjustified government salary. After repeatedly refusing to answer whether Muscat should return her salary, Abela said he is informed that she would be returning the funds. Meanwhile, Bartolo refused to speak to MaltaToday when exiting Castille. A few hours later, he took to Facebook to state that when he had been appointed to cabi- net he promised to, "shoulder political re- sponsibility if someone uses me to attack government's or the PL's work." He made no mention of his wife's lucar- tive and unjustified public job, or any new allegations surrounding his wife, as he reminisced on his now-former job as min- ister. Meanwhile, Clint Camilleri has so far re- mained relatively under the radar despite similar calls for his resignation. Clayton Bartolo resigns after days of public pressure MATTHEW FARRUGIA & KURT SANSONE mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Clayton Bartolo (left) has resigned from tourism minister and the Labour Party parliamentary group following a meeting with Prime Minister Robert Abela (centre) while Gozo minister Clint Camilleri has so far resisted calls for his resignation