Robert Abela has accepted as “sufficient” Clayton Bartolo's apology over revelations that, together with fellow minister Clint Camilleri, he breached ministerial ethics for securing a job for his partner.
According to a standards commissioner's report published on Thursday, the tourism and Gozo ministers abused their power and breached ministerial ethics when Bartolo's now-wife was employed in a job she was not qualified for and did not do.
The investigation by retired chief justice Joseph Azzopardi, triggered by Arnold Cassola, detailed how Amanda Muscat was first promoted from Bartolo’s personal assistant to his consultant with a generously beefed-up salary of almost €62,000 in 2020 and again, with an even higher salary of €68,000, with Camilleri in 2021.
Bartolo has since made a conditional apology, refuting claims of favouritism. He said Muscat was only engaged for eight months with the Gozo Ministry, in line with regulations laid out in the Manual of Resourcing, Policies and Procedures.
Camilleri offered no apology and reiterated that the report did not say Muscat did not carry out any work.
Opposition leader Bernard Grech and PN MPs have since called for their resignation, while rule-of-law NGO Repubblika filed a police complaint asking the commissioner to charge Muscat, Bartolo and Camilleri in court.
In line with Bartolo and Camilleri's reactions, in comments to the media on Thursday evening, Abela said the parliamentary committee will now discuss whether it would adopt the report.
The committee is due to meet again on November 21. If adopted, parliament will discuss an appropriate sanction that can vary from a warning to a suspension from parliament.
"I saw Bartolo's apology and looked at the report in detail. I believe that the apology... is sufficient when considering the circumstances of the case."
He said Bartolo and Camilleri will continue in their current ministerial roles.
Abela said the only shortcoming the commissioner had found was whether Muscat's work reflected what was required of her from the role she was entrusted with.
He noted that had the commissioner found there were some criminal shortcomings, he could have himself asked the police to look into the matter.