A Transport Malta official was given a consultancy contract worth €3,000 a month with the entity despite being at the centre of a police investigation, the Nationalist Party said on Thursday, a claim that was rejected by Transport Malta.

PN MPs Ivan Castillo, Darren Carabott, and Mark Anthony Sammut said a TM official at the centre of an internal investigation and an ongoing police investigation was given a work-from-home consultancy with the government entity worth €3,000.

The investigations revolve around the purchase of faulty rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) and abuse within TM's maritime enforcement section, where enforcement officers tampered with and deliberately "lost" fines.

The allegation was, however, denied by Transport Malta, which said that no official was given any consultancy role worth €3,000 a month to work from home. 

The authority added that an internal inquiry found no evidence of any wrongdoing. 

“Even though the matter was passed on to police, it is clear that the allegations are without basis,” the authority said.   

In their statement, the  PN called on the police to conclude investigations into the purchase of the RHIBs and that TM should publish the internal inquiry. 

In April, TM said it would not publish an internal investigation it claims found no evidence of abuse within its maritime enforcement section, adding that it did not want to hinder an ongoing police investigation. 

Transport Malta’s purchase of five RHIBs at a cost of €721,000 was flagged by a National Audit Office review for a series of failures in their procurement.