Education permanent secretary remains in office despite new minister, PN says

Clifton Grima’s appointment as education minister does not close the chapter on Justyne Caruana’s case, the Nationalist Party said, recalling that the permanent secretary remains in office.

“The [Justyne Caruana] case still has many ends that have not been addressed by Robert Abela. There is also the Standards Commissioner’s call for a criminal investigation,” the PN said on Monday

Grima was appointed minister on Monday, five days after Caruana resigned following a damning report by the Standards Commissioner that found she breached ministerial ethics.

“Permanent secretary Frank Fabri was also implicated in this scandal and he remains in office,” the party said. “The PN emphasises the need for permanent secretaries in the public service should carry out their duty to safeguard the public sector from the abusive behaviour of ministers.”

Fabri was lambasted by the Standards Commissioner for signing on the contract awarded to Caruana's close friend Daniel Bogdanovic.

Grima is the fourth education minister since 2017 and the third since 2020.