Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/582103
6 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 7 OctObEr 2015 News Muscat's consultants cost at least €218,478 a year TiM Diacono Prime minister Joseph mus- cat's current crop of consultants cost at least €218,478 a year, in- formation tabled in Parliament has revealed. The exact figure is unknown, because the salaries of two of the consultants – rob van der Water and robert musumeci – were not listed as part of the information revealed in reply to a PQ by Opposition mP Kristy Debono. rob van de Water is contract- ed as muscat's foreign affairs consultant, but the cost of his consultancy fees wasn't tabled. The Dutchman's Linkedin ac- count shows that he has been working as muscat's consult- ant since July 2013, coincid- ing with his advisory role to then Ukrainian Prime minister mykola Azarov. in September 2013, Van de Water joined a gov- ernment delegation to Kiev led by muscat to sign a double taxa- tion treaty with then-Ukrainian president Victor Yanukov ych, the details of which have never been released. The meeting took place a few months before Yanukov ych was overthrown from power in last year's fateful Ukraine revolution. Former BBC news editor Les- lie Skipper has been contracted as a "technical consultant" on a tidy €43,660 annual salary. He is also listed as a media trainer at Templars, a London- based public relations consul- tancy firm. The firm's website describes him as a "speech- writer, who provides the words to get people listening" and who "takes clients on a journey through the opportunities and pitfalls of presentations and media interviews". For the first time, the list re- veals that former ONe journal- ist ramona Attard has been contracted as a consultant for the implementation of a com- munications strategy on a €2,687 monthly salary – equiv- alent to a whopping €32,239 per year. This is Attard's third public sector job since Labour's elec- tion to power in 2013 and the second one that appears to have been specifically created for her. She had earlier served as head of secretariat for parliamentary secretary ian Borg before join- ing the team of former home af- fairs minister manuel mallia as communications coordinator. She was later also made deputy chief of staff, an entirely new position that – combined with her communications job – al- lowed her to maintain her origi- nal €30,000 salary under Borg. elsewhere, Aaron Grech – head of the Central Bank 's mod- eling and research department – has been contracted as an economic advisor on a €20,000 annual salary. Anton Sevasta, chief iCT officer at the home affairs ministry, is providing digital media advisory services at €14,160 a year. Deputy Labour leader Toni Abela provides political and le- gal consultancy free of charge. The list also shows that Law Commisioner and former PN rebel backbencher Franco Debono provides consultancy on justice reform to muscat for €17,000 a year, while interna- tional law professor David At- tard provides "consultancy at the Office of the Prime minis- ter" for €17,405. Outgoing university rector Juanito Camilleri has served as OPm consultant on eU targets and the Lisbon Agenda since 2006, and he is currently the most expensive advisor at a rate of €59,935. SZA Law Firm, named af- ter the initials of its managing partner and former PL presi- dent Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, provides legal consultancy on broadcasting and digital media for €7,080 a year. Audit firm Nexia BT provides "advisory services on the preparation of national projects". elsewhere, law yer Josette Sultana earns €7,000 for legal consultancy to planning parlia- mentary secretary michael Fal- zon, whose office falls under the direct responsibility of Castille. Architect robert musumeci acts as a part-time consultant to Falzon on "strategy and pri- orities". His exact salary isn't specified, with the government only revealing that the former PN Siggiewi mayor earns a sal- ary equivalent to scale 4 on the public sector scale. Rob van de Water sits next to foreign minister George Vella during a meeting in Kiev with Joseph Muscat and Victor Yanukovych in September 2013 Former BBC news editor Leslie Skipper Contract belies decision to terminate FKNK consultancies conTinueD froM Page 1 Upon be- ing elected to government in 2013, Galdes' spokesperson had said hunters would no longer be paid for consultancy, as was the case under PN governments but they would receive funding through other channels. Galdes had decided to revise the agreement with FKNK, the hunt- ers' federation, after it emerged that it had been paid €17,500 for consultancy work in 2012. "The previous administration's agreement with the FKNK needs to be revised because the Govern- ment does not require consultan- cy services from the FKNK or any other NGO," Galdes' spokesperson had told the Times. in 2011-12, Farrugia was paid €17,500, money which he said was used by the federation to write re- ports and conduct research. The first consultancy contract with FKNK was signed in August 2006 when government agreed to fund "consultancy services" related to hunting and trapping. However, in June 2013, Galdes had said the consultancy was halted in march 2013. ironically, the highlight of the hunters' campaign consisted of deriding a consultancy that had been awarded to Saviour Balzan in 2001 for advice regarding the eU accession negotiations on the birds' directive. Balzan was one of three main spokespeople who led the referendum campaign in the early part of this year. in April, the proposal to ban spring hunting, during which mi- grating birds are shot before they can breed was narrowly rejected by the electorate, with the hunting lobby winning the vote by a mere 2,200 votes. During the past year, the en- vironment ministry also paid Leonard Caruana €3,504.60 for legal services in connection with legislation related to trapping and hunting. Controversial waste management consultancies DeSPiTe not being known for his expertise in the field, the environ- ment ministry has engaged veteran journalist Charles Flores through direct order to provide advice and service regarding government's Waste management Plan. Following his engagement in Feb- ruary 2014, Flores has been paid €6,000 for his services and the information tabled in Parliament does not indicate the duration of the contract. The veteran journalist who served as a Department of information of- ficer and the national broadcaster's head of news under Labour admin- istrations in the '70s recently re- turned to PBS after being appointed on the broadcaster's editorial board last month. Also making forays into waste management field is George Pa- pagiorcopulo, who for years was demonised and attacked by the La- bour opposition when he occupied a number of positions at mimCOL, miA and the Foundation for To- morrow's Schools under PN ad- ministrations. Papagiorcopulo is currently em- ployed by the environment minis- try on a €30 per hour rate to consult government on its education cam- paign on waste management. He was first engaged in July 2014 through a direct order and awarded two running contracts for a maxi- mum of 400 hours. So far, Papa- giorcopulo has been paid €12,991.