After difficult break-up, government gives Mark Camilleri consultancy with National Book Council

Blogger Mark Camilleri will be contracted by the National Book Council as a consultant three years after an acrimonious break-up that saw him sue the government over political discrimination.

Camilleri will be paid a salary in the range of €30,000 a year and will be allowed to work remotely, multiple sources have confirmed with this newspaper.

However, his return to the council has caused disgruntlement among staff members at the book council given Camilleri's attack on the NBC ever since his contract was not renewed in 2021. Several sources close to the sector were granted anonymity to speak freely about the issue.

“Our first issue lies in him having a rocky relationship with staff at the NBC when he was council chair. Our second issue lies in him having spent three years slamming the council and its work when his contract was not renewed,” one source said.

Several other sources told MaltaToday the appointment was not made by the council’s officials, but rather “came from upstairs.”

MaltaToday reached out to Education Minister Clifton Grima, who said despite Camilleri’s criticism towards government, he is still a relevant stakeholder who needs to be engaged with.

“Irrelevant of his criticism against government, I have remained in contact, and have always given the direction that the council should remain in contact with everyone,” he said.  

But Grima would not confirm whether Camilleri has been engaged for work with the council, despite multiple sources confirming the information. “Should he be contacted to do any work for the council, it will be carried out through public procurement procedure,” Grima said. “As we speak, he is not employed with the council.”

Asked whether he feels comfortable having an individual who has taken the council to court over claims of political discrimination being re-employed with the council, the minister said: “I never enjoy seeing the council involved in any court case, but given that we always say the resources in this industry are scarce, and he can contribute, then why not?”

Despite the minister's comments that Camilleri is not yet employed with the NBC, industry sources told MaltaToday that Camilleri has contacted several publishers to inform them of his intention to carry out an analysis of the sector as part of this new role. It is understood that Camilleri has already carried out some form of analysis for publishers with publicly available accounts.

In 2021, Camilleri’s contract with the Book Council was not renewed by the Education Ministry. He had subsequently filed a judicial protest against the National Book Council and the government, claiming that Education Minister Justyne Caruana and Permanent Secretary Frank Fabri broke the law when they “completely disregarded” a decision taken by members of the National Book Congress when appointing the council.

He went on to file a constitutional case in 2022, claiming political discrimination. The case is ongoing.