Political appointees assigned to a minister’s private secretariat were first retained on the government payroll when Godfrey Farrugia resigned as health minister two years ago, the Times of Malta has learnt.
This newspaper reported last week that all the members of former home affairs minister Manuel Mallia’s private secretariat were still in government employ. Dr Mallia was sacked just over a year ago.
Ministers have the right to recruit staff from outside the public service to work in their private secretariat. When the minister is no longer in office, former political appointees are entitled to a salary for six months but their ‘public’ job ceases to exist.
Government sources said that when Dr Farrugia resigned in March 2014 all members of his team were retained.
Questions sent to the Office of the Prime Minister have remained unanswered.
Cabinet secretary Mario Cutajar, who is also Principal Permanent Secretary, had been asked by this newspaper for details on Dr Mallia’s former personnel and to say why they were retained on the State payroll but no replies were forthcoming either.
Former political appointees entitled to a salary for six months
According to the sources, Brian Bonnici, a former Labour Żebbuġ mayor recruited from outside the public service as private secretary to Dr Farrugia, was appointed head of the Addolorata Cemetery on a position-of-trust basis. Christian Zammit, another political appointee who contested the last general elections for Labour, is working as the Gozo Minister’s chief of staff after his stint as the former health minster’s deputy chief of staff.
Mark Tonna, recruited from outside the service to become assistant private secretary to Dr Farrugia, is now serving in the office of the superintendent of health.
His brother Claudio Tonna, who was already a public servant, was made head of security and maintenance at St Luke’s after his stint as Dr Farrugia’s chief of staff.
Four messengers who had been recruited by Dr Farrugia from outside the service are now employed as security officers at the cemetery in positions of trust.
Other former members of Dr Farrugia’s private secretariat occupy government positions, including as secretaries to the CEOs of the Foundation for Medical Services and Mount Carmel Hospital, and to the OPM’s coordinator at the Health Ministry. Others were engaged as ambulance drivers at Mater Dei in positions of trust.
Labour has often been accused of inflating the public service but says more employees were needed in education and health.