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PN aides were ‘insured’ against Labour election with job transfers
Email shows Nationalist government placed aides in Sports Council jobs hours before general elections
11 August 2013, 12:00am
Miriam Dalli
Miriam Dalli
3 min read
Nobody was left behind. As the final polling data of the electoral campaign confirmed that Labour was set for an unprecedented victory, a skirmish for government jobs was in the offing inside government ministries, until the eleventh hour.
An email seen by MaltaToday (pictured) has confirmed that six highly placed ministerial aides were given transfers to the national sports council (KMS) literally hours from the 9 March general elections, with clear instructions: the employees would be reporting for duty at the KMS "if there will be a change in government".
The email confirms that instructions were sent from the human resources office within the Office of the Prime Minister to the KMS Chief Executive, Bernard Vassallo, ordering the reassignment of six public officials if Labour was elected.
Three of the officials hailed from the education ministry, two from the finance ministry and one from the OPM.
They were formerly civil servants, seconded to their posts in the ministers' secretariats after 2008. Instead of returning to their original posts, they chose to stay together at the national sports council. Similar transfers occurred elsewhere: Lawrence Gonzi's secretary, Josephine Vassallo, took up a post at the Film Commission.
The six officials now transferred to the KMS were informed, however, that their posts would be revoked by the KMS chairman with immediate effect and that they would be assigned to their original positions in the civil service.
The officials have now filed a judicial protest, demanding that they be reinstated within 24 hours or they will launch legal action against the government.
The six employees are Silvan Bugeja, former spokesperson in the education ministry, Angelito Sciberras, former spokesperson in the parliamentary secretariat for sports and youth, Roderick Vella, former senior agricultural officer in the education ministry, Robert Attard, former private secretary to the finance minister, Colin Calleja, current chief executive of the KMS and also a former private secretary to the finance minister, and Saviour Farrugia, former employee at the OPM.
The email ordering their 'electoral' transfers was sent on Friday, 8 March at 5.01pm from the Public Administration Human Resource Office (PAHRO) at the OPM to then-KMS chief Bernard Vassallo. It told Vassallo that the six public officers would report at KMS "with effect from Monday 11 March 2013, if there will be a change of administration".
The email suggests that official notifications of the transfers had already taken place.
Additionally, Sciberras and Vella had also requested to be seconded to voluntary organisations. The current permanent secretary within the ministry for education turned down their request.
MaltaToday is informed that the voluntary organisation in question was AZAD, the PN think-tank.
In the judicial protest, the six officials claim they are victims of "mudslinging by the media" over 11 parliamentary questions tabled over their employment at KMS.
They also complained that their personal files had been passed to the auditor who performed a staff audit at KMS.
According to a PQ, A. Baldacchino & Co carried out a €4,000 staff audit, following a report by the OPM's Management Efficiency Unit in 2011.
Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...
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Il-PAHRO (Public Administration Human Resources Office) jidher li accetta li jaghti tali struzzjonijiet. Ta' min jinnota li dan l-ufficcju ghadu bl-istess ufficjali. Oqoghdu attenti Ufficjali Pubblici ghax dan ifisser li tali buzullotti jistghu jibqghu isiru!!!
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Prosit hej, kemm hi tajba din. A la cart kien jistmahom Gonzi lil tal-Klikka. U jridu jiehdu li hux taghhom ukoll issa. Immaginaw x'kienu jaghmlu li kieku regghu, alla hares qatt, telghu huma. Xejn, kulhadd trab ta' l-art kien jigi ttrattat. Taparsi qieghed jahdem fl-interess ta' kulhadd il-gvern l-iehor eh? Mhux ta' b'xejn dik it-tkaxkira manja fl-elezzjoni. Is-sabiha hi li tismahhom jitkelmu issa tahsibhom il-vergni w puri. L-anqas jisthu.
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Tal PN veru ma jisthux bil kuntratti li ghamlu qabel l elezzjoni u riedu jaqduhom sa l ahhar minuta tik tok tal elezzjoni . This is just the tip of the iceberg ... more will follow. U fuq 4,000 audit fee veru raggonevoli u mhux bhal PN jaghmlu report u jiehdu 50,000 euro u fuq kollox jhalluh fuq l ixkaffa. Veru tal PN veru tal misthija!!!!
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Ghara veru NODFA tal PN. U jridu jipprotestaw!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Let them swallow and taste some of their medicine. Its the only justice that is being automatically done by change of government. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
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If there was a need to prove what kind of Government we had running the country, this e-mail gives a concrete proof of corruption in all levels. What is Simple Simon Buzullotti going to say about this. I hope that he will not be saying, that at that moment in time he was not responsible for what the other Ministers was doing. Does he support these political appointees in their request to be reinstated back to their original positions? We are waiting for Simple Simon to reply.
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If there was a need to prove what kind of Government we had running the country, this e-mail gives a concrete proof of corruption in all levels. Where is Simple Simon Buzullotti going to say about this. I hope that he will not be saying, that at that moment in time he was not responsible for what the other Ministers was doing. Does he support these political appointees in their request to be reinstated back to their original positions? We are waiting for Simple Simon to reply.
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bil-barka ta` Clyde Puli b`kuntratt fenomenali b`paga u pozizzjonijiet li hew ivvintati u bla misthija ta` xejn hadu l-kaz quddiem il-qorti. mhux bizzejjed gawdew. L-ingustizzja mhux jekk ma jitnehhwqz ghax dik kieku tkun gustizzja imma jekk jibqghu.
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Blatant robbery of public funds. Like these there are many, many more. The same happened in 2008 when Ninu Zammit was not reelected. All his secretariat staff were eased into easy, grossly underemployed and some very well remunerated jobs. Check this out. No need for WhistleBlowers. It's all documented and shows on official records. SHAME, SHAME SHAME.
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The report by the Auditor General entitled 'Performance Audit - Managing Public Service Recruitment' clearly states that 'the vast majority (75 %) of submitted draft (promotion/recruitment) calls are verified within a time-frame of (minimum) 57 days'. Obviously these calls are verified by PAHRO. These six blue eyed boys recruitments were approved on the eve of the election. This is obscene and PAHRO has much to answer about this. Who is accountable, who?
David Bongailas •
Buzzieqa ohra nazzjonalista tinfaqa u issir frak. Ingustizzji ?! U halluna!!
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Possibli ma jisthux dawn in nies u anke il PN. I am truly ashamed that I was a Nationalist supporter for most of my time. But now I am making amends for my past sins
