[ANALYSIS] Rosianne Cutajar: Abela’s elastic yardstick

In his first year of office, Abela has used a different yardstick in censuring different Cabinet members involved in cases of impropriety, which ranges from zero tolerance for Konrad Mizzi to passing the buck on the Standards Commissioner in the case of Rosianne Cutajar.

It is very difficult for any Prime Minister to apply a universal yardstick applicable to any case of misconduct, which can range from a lack of political judgement to dubious ethical behaviour or even outright corruption. Abela’s predecessor Joseph Muscat had established a very high bar, removing Michael Falzon and Manuel Mallia for impropriety happening on their watch; but then lowering the bar abysmally after retaining Konrad Mizzi in his cabinet and Keith Schembri as his closest aide.

On his part Abela started his term by sending a strong message of accountability only to become more cautious by the end of the year.

Justyne Caruana: held accountable for husband’s actions

Justyne Caruana had to resign from Gozo Minister after it was revealed that her husband, former Deputy Police Commissioner Silvio Valletta, had a close friendship with Daphne Caruana Galizia murder suspect Yorgen Fenech. This sent a strong message that Abela would not tolerate any proximity between Cabinet members and the powerful businessan-turned-murder-suspect. In this case Caruana was held accountable for the actions of her husband. But Abela justified reinstating Caruana to the Cabinet in a reshuffle in November insisting, “she was not involved in anything” and pointing out that she had separated from Valletta.

Konrad Mizzi: judged on a political level and fired

Konrad Mizzi was expelled from the Labour Party’s parliamentary group after Mizzi refused a call by the PM for him to resign. Mizzi’s expulsion came in the wake of revelations that Dubai-based company 17 Black had made an undisclosed profit of €4.6 million when Enemalta bought a wind farm in Montenegro. Abela said the decision was setting the highest standards. “I am not here to judge Konrad Mizzi from a legal point of view but on a political level.”

Chris Cardona: asked to resign for damning court testimony

Robert Abela did not include Chris Cardona in his Cabinet. In June Abela asked Chris Cardona to resign from PL Deputy leader in the wake of court testimony that implicated him in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder. Cardona had described the allegations linking him to the murder as “lies”. It was middleman Melvin Theuma and Yorgen Fenech business associate Johann Cremona, who testified that Fenech had told them of Cardona’s involvement in the murder. Cardona reluctantly resigned, sending his resignation letter hours after Abela announced his resignations.

Joseph Muscat: ‘has already paid the political price’

When asked whether he will adopt the same yardstick applied to Konrad Mizzi to his predecessor Joseph Muscat, Abela made a sharp distinction between the two politicians. “Konrad Mizzi had a connection with the Panama Papers and 17 Black. Joseph Muscat had no such accusations and his mistake was not to remove Mizzi and Keith Schembri in 2016 when the Panama connection came to the fore. For that he already paid a political price,” Abela said. Muscat went on to resign from MP out of his own free will in October.

Silvio Parnis: his post had to be elevated

Silvio Parnis was the only Cabinet member to lose his post in Abela’s cabinet reshuffle. Although the removal was widely attributed to incompetence during the COVID-19 crisis, which saw a spike in cases in elderly homes, Abela claimed that his motivation was that of elevating the elderly and disability portfolios to two separate ministries in a show of commitment towards these sectors.

Rosianne Cutajar: did she receive the money?

Abela postponed taking a decision on junior minister Rosianne Cutajar, insisting that he would take a decision once all the facts are established by Standards Commissioner George Hyzler, who was asked by independent candidate Arnold Cassola to investigate a report in MaltaToday and The Sunday Times of Malta on a Yorgen Fenech property deal for which Cutajar allegedly acted as a broker.

The deal eventually fell through but the seller is now claiming back moneys paid in cash to Cutajar and her aide as brokerage fees. Cutajar, alongside Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis, had been retained in the Cabinet despite reports of WhatsApp chats suggesting proximity to Fenech.

Abela’s decision to pass the buck to the Standards Commissioner suggest that sheer ‘proximity’ to Fenech underlined in this case by Cutajar’s visiting the property with Fenech after he was already exposed as the owner of 17 Black, is not enough to warrant exclusion from cabinet. In fact the crux for Abela is whether Cutajar has accepted any money. “If she received the money – something, from what I read yesterday, she is denying – then that would be one matter. This will be determined by the commissioner for standards. We respect the decisions of institutions,” Abela said when asked about Cutajar.