Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545651
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 1 JULY 2026 NEWS A former aide to Robert Abela has pushed back against malicious attacks directed towards him by Labour Party supporters since resigning from the Office of the Prime Minister. Aaron Zahra, who headed gov- ernment activities at the OPM, hit back at the vicious criticism instigated by a Facebook post uploaded by former OPM cus- tomer care official Neville Gafa. Zahra said the attacks, which he described as "without limits", "unfounded" and "stories borne out of jealousy", started after he resigned from the prime minis- ter's secretariat. "Over the past five days, my family and I were insulted, at- tacked and threatened. What was written about me was defama- tory, invented stories borne out of spite, with the only intent of destroying and harming my repu- tation," Zahra wrote, insisting he has always worked with integrity. The vitriol against Zahra kicked off after blogger Neville Gafa cel- ebrated the former's exit from Castille. Gafa made unsubstanti- ated claims Zahra was "one of the last" bricks in the wall who made life hell for Labourites, especially those identified as belonging to Joseph Muscat's clique. Gafa's Facebook post was liked or commented positively on by several Labour sympathisers, in- cluding a top official at the Civil Protection Department and two managers at Transport Malta. Żabbar Mayor Jorge Grech also liked Gafa's post as did former MP Joe Mizzi, who heads the Cot- tonera Foundation. Gafa accused Zahra of making the prime minister "his proper- ty" and treating ministers, parlia- mentary secretaries and Labour Party officials and activists as "fourth class" citizens. Gafa's post fomented a series of vitriolic comments by his follow- ers in which Zahra was accused, among others, of being on the take. But in a lengthy post of his own, complete with screen shots of comments and likes that accom- panied Gafa's post, Zahra rejected the accusations. Describing Gafa as someone close to the PL, Zah- ra insisted the deci- sion to resign from the OPM was his. "I asked not to have my contract renewed and I even presented a resignation letter. It's not true that my employment was terminated by others as some are trying to imply," Zahra added. "I have been at- tacked in a cruel and vicious way by various people, including a small minority of Labour sup- porters, some of whom ironically, I know are employed in govern- ment entities, including the Civil Protection Department, Trans- port Malta, and even people who occupy high-ranking posts," Zah- ra said. He also said people, who com- mented or liked Gafa's post, included some involved in the Labour Party's mass activities sec- tion "Over the past six-and-a-half years, I did nothing but what was expected of my role. Whatever I did was always approved," Zahra said. "The Labour Party does not deserve to suffer from this cruel- ty, jealousy and hate towards each other. This applies to everyone." Zahra acknowledged that in his public role he expected to have detractors, insisting though that he always acted with "rectitude, seriousness, and absolute loyalty towards the prime minister and his family". In a telling jibe, Zahra insisted: "I entered Castille clean and last Fri- day exited Castille clean, with my integrity intact and with a clean conscience." Gafa, a Joseph Muscat loyalist, had been kicked out of the OPM secretariat in 2020, shortly after Robert Abela became prime min- ister. However, he was reinstated in a customer care role in the summer of 2024 only to have his job ter- minated a few months later when he removed flowers from Daphne Caruana Galizia's makeshift me- morial in Valletta. Gafa's actions had earned the government re- buke from a handful of foreign embassies, which had their flow- ers removed. Gafa has used his blog to hit out at Labour functionaries, who may be critical of the shady aspects of the Muscat era. In the aftermath of the 2024 European election, Gafa had gone on a spree, target- ing key people in Abela's secretar- iat and others who occupied roles within the PL, including former CEO Randolph Debattista. Former PM's aide rebuts 'malicious and cruel' attacks by Labour insiders Joseph Muscat loyalist Neville Gafa (left) and Aaron Zahra, who resigned from the OPM after the election Woman and two children hospitalised after Naxxar car accident A 43-year-old woman from Mosta and her two children have been taken to hospital following a collision between two cars in l-Iklin. The collision happened in Triq il-Mosta at around 1.30pm and involved a Toyota Vitz and a Toyota Hiace. The Vitz was being driven by the woman, who had two chil- dren with her. The Hiace was being driven by a 45-year-old man from San Ġwann. The woman and the two children were taken to hospi- tal. Police are currently on the scene. JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt The road has been closed, causing a trail of traffic (Photo: MaltaToday/James Bianchi)