Updated 11.30am with PN statement

Justyne Caruana, who was forced to resign as minister twice, is getting paid €78,000 a year to serve as an advisor on the Malta Tax and Customs Administration (MTCA).

Caruana started in the role in July, working 30-hour weeks for a fixed term of 12 months at a rate of €50 per hour. The appointment was only made public on Friday, when a notice announcing it featured in the Government Gazette. 

Her work with the MTCA, which falls under the Finance Ministry, is over and above her private practice as a lawyer.

The Government Gazette notice announcing the role.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Robert Abela hinted at the possibility of bringing Caruana back to politics after publicly praising her in front of a group of Labour supporters.

“Thank you for your presence here today, Justyne. I still believe that Gozo and Malta need your contribution,” Abela said.

Meanwhile, a Labour Party insider told Times of Malta the party was “working to bring her back”.

In May 2022, The Shift reported Caruana was receiving €40,000 a year as a legal officer at the Victims Support Agency.

Two resignations as minister

In December 2021, Caruana was forced to step down from being the education minister after being involved in a job-for-a-friend scandal. 

A report by Standards Commissioner George Hyzler found she was in breach of ethics after awarding her friend and former Malta footballer, Daniel Bogdanovich, a three-month contract worth €15,000.

Caruana did not contest the 2022 general elections following her resignation.

That resignation marked the second time she stepped down from the cabinet.

Caruana had initially resigned from her post as Gozo Minister in January 2020, after Times of Malta reported that her then-husband, former deputy police commissioner Silvio Valletta, had gone on holiday with Yorgen Fenech, who stands charged with complicity in Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder.

PN: Nobody knows what Caruana does

In a reaction, the Nationalist Party said the revelation added to a long list of government scandals and noted how little was known about Caruana's advisory role. 

"It’s unclear where she works, what she does, or whether she even attends work anywhere. It’s also unknown on what criteria she was selected over others," the PN said in a statement. 

"The direct order was issued by Clyde Caruana’s Ministry of Finance, under whose leadership the country reached a record level of debt. According to the notice, Justyne Caruana is advising the Minister on how to collect more tax."

It said Robert Abela seemed intent on buying back Caruana's loyalty with a backdated contract. 

"Rosianne Cutajar’s infamous remark that "everyone is in it for themselves" has become the order of the day for the Labour Government," it said.