Editorial: A tale of two ministers and a girlfriend

Parliament’s Standards Committee will be meeting today to discuss the way forward following the conclusion of the Standards Commissioner’s investigation into the behaviour of two ministers. We’re not holding our breath as we are not expecting things to change.

The report has caused uproar – except in the Labour fold, as the two ministers have been defended and calls for their removal or resignation have been ignored.

Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo and Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri have been found to have breached ethical standards after it was revealed that Bartolo’s then-girlfriend, now wife, Amanda Muscat had been given a consultancy job for which she had no qualifications.

Commissioner Joseph Azzopardi ruled that both ministers had abused their power when Muscat was first promoted from being Bartolo’s secretary to his consultant, with her salary increased to a whopping €62,000. But this was not enough, and she was later “moved” to the Gozo Ministry, with her salary upped to €68,000. The investigation found that Muscat, in spite of her salary rise and consultancy position given, continued to serve as Bartolo’s secretary even when she was technically employed by Camilleri.

For Prime Minister Robert Abela, they have done nothing wrong and do not deserve to be punished. Labour exponents are toeing this line. Bartolo has apologised for what he did, but he stopped short of saying that the money Muscat received should be paid back. Camilleri did not even bother to say sorry.

Calls for their removal or resignation have abounded, with the Nationalist Party leading the way in this regard and going as far as holding a mass protest in Valletta last Monday, at the same time that the budgetary measures involving the Tourism Ministry – for which Bartolo is responsible – were being debated in Parliament.

Other institutions and constituted bodies have also highlighted the political responsibility that should be shouldered by Camilleri and Bartolo. But these calls have not been heeded.

The circumstances are different, but this incident has reminded many of the way former Labour leader and Prime Minister Joseph Muscat defended Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri on the Panama Papers scandal. With the benefit of hindsight, that was the start of Muscat’s downfall. We all know how things have matured and the hot water all three of them are in.

Abela is running the risk of following Muscat’s footsteps in this regard. Muscat chose to defend two of his closest allies in the same way that Abela is now doing with Camilleri and Bartolo. It would not be a surprise if, some months or years down the line, we will look back and say that the Amanda Muscat job was the spark that ignited the fire that politically burnt Abela.

It is weird to think that Abela acted differently with Justyne Caruana three years ago. Caruana had also been caught abusing power when she gave a paid consultancy job to a close friend of hers. In her case, she had been forced to resign.

So why is Abela treating Camilleri and Bartolo differently?