Robert Abela is carrying out a “spring clean” at the Office of the Prime Minister, replacing especially staff members closely associated with Keith Schembri.

More than a dozen members at OPM have been told to leave since Dr Abela walked through the door of Auberge de Castille as prime minister on January 13, sources told The Sunday Times of Malta.

“There was the need for a good clean-up at OPM. There were persons that had the trust of Joseph [Muscat] but not Robert’s,” one senior OPM source said.

Nearly all the members of Mr Schembri’s team as well as those who were in close contact with the former chief of staff no longer serve at the OPM, Castille sources said.

Important decisions would be taken by elected politicians

On his first day in office, Dr Abela accepted the resignation of controversial OPM official Neville Gafà, a close associate of Mr Schembri’s. Sources had said Mr Gafà’s presence at Dr Abela’s swearing-in ceremony had irritated the prime minister, who made it clear to his team that he did not want him on board.

Mr Gafà was alleged to have been involved in a visa fraud racket and admitted to meeting with a Libyan militia leader during a visit to Tripoli.

Government sources said most of the staffers had originally been seconded to the OPM and so reported to work at their previous government jobs after being told by Dr Abela’s team to clear out their Castille desks.

Keith Schembri

The news was broken to them by Clyde Caruana, Dr Abela’s new ‘head of secretariat’, a new role ostensibly replacing that previously known as chief of staff.

Insiders said Dr Abela felt the position previously held by Mr Schembri had too much power for an unelected office, and the new prime minister wanted to send out a message that the important decisions would be taken by elected politicians in consultation with career civil servants where deemed necessary.

The once-powerful Mr Schembri, who was linked to several scandals in the Muscat administration, was forced to resign in November after he was questioned in connection with the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

In his first two weeks in office, Dr Abela has changed a number of top government officials, though the decision to re-employ former police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar as a consultant on public safety and logistics has sparked major criticism.