Abela rejects calls for resignation of ministers after ethics breach

Prime Minister Robert Abela has rejected calls for the resignation of ministers Clayton Bartolo and Clint Camilleri, after findings by the Standards Commissioner revealed they breached ethics.

"The facts in this case are different [from the Justyne Caruana case]. The circumstances do not warrant Clayton Bartolo or Clint Camilleri stepping down from their ministerial duties," Abela stated, in an interview with Times of Malta.

The ethics breach involves the employment of Bartolo’s wife, Amanda Muscat, as a consultant with the tourism ministry and then with the Gozo ministry.

There has been mounting pressure on the two ministers to resign after the Standards Commissioner found that Bartolo and Camilleri abused their positions when Muscat was promoted to roles for which she lacked qualifications and never worked in.

When questioned about whether Muscat would be required to reimburse the money she received during her employment, Abela remained non-committal. "The controversy revolves around a €16,000 discrepancy in her pay," he pointed out.

He emphasised that he had taken decisive action by terminating Muscat's contract back in 2021, well before the report's findings were made public. 

The Prime Minister also criticised the Opposition's response, accusing it of hypocrisy in its call for a protest while alleging that “their own MPs have exploited the system.”

The PN is holding a protest outside parliament on Monday evening while the budget vote of the tourism ministry is being debated.