From the online comments board
Robert Abela’s PA retainer doubled over six years
“Very long hours of work ‘extended also to the weekends’.” At the Marina di Ragusa – Michael Cauchi
This is a conflict of interest. There’s a big difference working as a lawyer, whether PL or PN, and being the prime minister and getting paid for private work. Big difference. – J. Borg
How can this ‘socialist’ prime minister ever understand the burden common people have to deal with faced with ever-rising and exorbitant necessities’ prices? – Stephen Borg
This ‘socialist’ tag has been abused for decades. Do you think Stalin or Maduro ever slept on a concrete floor in a cold bedroom while leading the revolution? Or did they ride the wave of anger at social inequality until they got into power, then proceeded to consolidate that power at all costs while getting themselves richer and keeping their enablers sweet? – Conrad Costa
The whole idea of a retainer is highly dubious. Why are law firms not engaged on the basis of charging by the hour for the work actually done? That way there would be a reasonable chance of auditing the fees that are charged. – D. M. Briffa
Why was the PA not employing an in-house legal team? It would appear there was plenty of work to justify employing a team of lawyers. Engaging a contractor is normally limited to cases where one requires ad hoc (non-recurring) specialist advice, one-offs in other words. This is clearly abuse of taxpayer funds. Prosit Robert Abela. No shame. – Martin Naudi
Big Boat Bobby shows the common masses the lesson in how to get that big boat. – Stephen Forster
Seeing that he earned more than a prime minister, one wonders why he chose to occupy the post for less money! No wonder our prime minister lost control of the overspending of taxpayers’ money in excessive salaries, re-inaugurations of unfinished projects, five-star hotel stays by persons of trust and partisan political propaganda on the social media. Abela is a continuity of Joseph Muscat; after all it’s the same Labour Party which is “governing”! – Jon Schembri
That’s how he can afford that boat! – Joe Zammit
The way these people are gorging is unbelievable. Is there one corner that they haven’t attacked and ransacked? – Brian Sinclair
And don’t forget that ice cream lolly. That needs reimbursement too. Seriously, this corruption never ends. These are the same people who, while they were shouting ‘arloġġ tal-lira’, were planning, in collusion with their crony capitalist friends, the takeover of the islands and the plundering thereof. – Jan Farrugia
Going by the details, what is the article’s goal? Anything new? Such set-ups have been in place for years on end both in Malta and other western countries. – V. Buhagiar
Big boats consume a lot of fuel, a full tank is very expensive. We are made to contribute to fill his tank without our consent and behind our backs too, if it wasn’t for Times of Malta exposing it all. – Jack Black
The worst forms of injustices and corruption are those which are carried out within the parameters of the law. – Paul L. Pulis
There are some important questions for which the public deserves answers.
Who was the CEO of the PA when the contract with the Abela law firm expired in 2011 and started being renewed annually through a direct order? Why wasn’t a fresh public call issued? Why didn’t the PA employ a new in-house lawyer when the one in office resigned in 2015?
But transparency also requires answers to the following: why did the PN appoint George Abela as President of the Republic? Why did the PN appoint Ian Stafrace as CEO of the PA? – Noel Ciantar
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