MEPA retains President’s son’s legal firm in unbroken 15-year run
MEPA extends Abela Advocates legal services contract for another three years
30 October 2013, 12:00am
Matthew Vella
Matthew Vella
2 min read
Robert Abela will keep handling MEPA's caseload for another three years
The son of President George Abela, Robert, has secured a three-year contract to provide legal services to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.
Abela, who represents Abela Advocates, was previously serving MEPA on its appeals cases backlog when the authority outsourced this workload to the family firm Abela Stafrace Advocates. The contract has been extended from the previous contract with MEPA, without any public call.
Over the next three years, Abela Advocates will be paid €107,263 for its work, and €54.99 for each hour of "additional work". The rate works out at a minimum of €2,979.55 per month.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, under whose responsibility MEPA falls, told the House last week that MEPA had extended Abela Advocates' contract because the original contract, which was for a definite period, included an extension clause. Brincat said that MEPA obtained the finance ministry's approval on 2 July 2013 for the three-year extension.
After Abela's father George was appointed President of the Republic in 2009, the caseload was left to partner Ian Stafrace before the latter was appointed chief executive of MEPA in 2011. Robert Abela and his wife Lydia, who serves as the Labour Party's executive committee's secretary, handled the caseload for MEPA's appeals cases.
Robert Abela was touted for a Labour Party candidature in 2012, which he had however turned down.
Ian Stafrace, who stepped down as MEPA chief executive on Labour's election to power last March, had resigned his partnership in the firm Abela Stafrace and Associates upon being appointed CEO. At the time of Stafrace's appointment as CEO, the Labour opposition had criticised the direct appointment for the lack of a public call, saying the appointment proved "government interference" in an autonomous authority.
On his part, Abela had told the 2012 Labour general conference that the Nationalist administration had offered "20 years of the same faces".
The firm has been contracted out by MEPA since 2001, after its head of legal services Anthony De Gaetano accused the authority of mishandling a domestic planning matter concerning his property due to an alleged political influence.
At that time the partnership was fronted by George Abela, who had fallen out with Alfred Sant after serving as Labour deputy leader until 1998. MEPA paid Abela, Stafrace & Associates the staggering amount of €1.23 million up until 2011 for handling its caseload.
The firm was originally chosen by MEPA after a call for expressions of interest, and the authority retains the right to terminate the appointment at any moment in time. The company is one of two firms conducting legal work at MEPA.
Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...
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what A PITY SUCH PEOPLE SHOULD BE GIVEN PREFFERENCES WHEN OTHERS IN THE SAME POSITION NEVER GET TO SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL
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Last May I filed a complaint at MEPA about an illegal activity which is a detrement to my family.
Showing a print of a website the Clarke at the counter instantly said" this is commercial(which I well know) The result was as I have been told,that the lawyer concluded that there is no price and the case was closed,to my disappointment.
By same reasoning ,Iask this firm of lawyers at MEPA.
Does adverts in yellow pages has a price ?
I am sorry to say that the outcome of their conclusion was a farse!!
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Some people are lucky more than others under every administration !!!!!!
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(1) It would be well to note that over the past 25 years, especially when GonziPNers ruled the roost, even pink coloured voters were shackled out of any potential Government employment. Two wrongs do not cancel each other out, and this administration had better start slowing down on certain appointments. It is always advisable to use transparent methods of selection, and public calls for Government/State controlled organisations' appointments must be issued, as practicable as possible, AND with scant exceptions. (2) It is understood and accepted by unbiased voters, that certain political posts have to include persons of the same political persuasion. Imagine what would have resulted had the previous deep blue political appointees, infiltrated everywhere throughout the wider public sector, were to be kept in their politically sensitive posts. Total chaos! (3) Already, we are witness to a wave of infantile, destructive criticism and full blown negativity which XMUNPN has unleashed via its' most strident, vociferous schoolyard bullies; now masquerading as stand alone b(l)oggers, and taking the mickey by pretending to have an international army of "volunteers"! Volunteers my foot! The whole PN machine must be behind this caustic soda b(l)og. (4) A word of warning to Xmun. Get serious! This old way of doing politics might please, even give an orgasm, to blinded, vindictive, cut-their-nose-to-spite-their-face, deep blue followers who want their thinking done for them. BUT, it is turning the PN into resembling an enemy of the people, which it should not be. Opposition, for its own sake, is ensuring that the country remains without a strong, opposing, political force. Is it time to rethink the whole scenario? (5) Now for some sums. A large figure for remuneration is mentioned. What is not mentioned are other relevant figures which would have been used to arrive at the total; like number of hours, price per hour and comparative prices for that same expertise, etc,etc,etc.
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(1) It would be well to note that over the past 25 years, especially when GonziPNers ruled the roost, even pink coloured voters were shackled out of any potential Government employment. Two wrongs do not cancel each other out, and this administration had better start slowing down on certain appointments. It is always advisable to use transparent methods of selection, and public calls for Government/State controlled organisations' appointments must be issued, as practicable as possible, AND with scant exceptions. (2) It is understood and accepted by unbiased voters, that certain political posts have to include persons of the same political persuasion. Imagine what would have resulted had the previous deep blue political appointees, infiltrated everywhere throughout the wider public sector, were to be kept in their politically sensitive posts. Total chaos! (3) Already, we are witness to a wave of infantile, destructive criticism and full blown negativity which XMUNPN has unleashed via its' most strident, vociferous schoolyard bullies; now masquerading as stand alone b(l)oggers, and taking the mickey by pretending to have an international army of "volunteers"! Volunteers my foot! The whole PN machine must be behind this caustic soda b(l)og. (4) A word of warning to Xmun. Get serious! This old way of doing politics might please, even give an orgasm, to blinded, vindictive, cut-their-nose-to-spite-their-face, deep blue followers who want their thinking done for them. BUT, it is turning the PN into resembling an enemy of the people, which it should not be. Opposition, for its own sake, is ensuring that the country remains without a strong, opposing, political force. Is it time to rethink the whole scenario? (5) Now for some sums. A large figure for remuneration is mentioned. What is not mentioned are other relevant figures which would have been used to arrive at the total; like number of hours, price per hour and comparative prices for that same expertise, etc,etc,etc.
