Clayton Bartolo has continued to defend his wife’s lucrative consultancy role, a job she was not qualified for and did not do, by saying that some people can do a job based on experience alone.

“In life, it is not just about diplomas or degrees. In life you have those who are able (to work) because of their experience,” Bartolo told Times of Malta on Friday. 

Last week, a report by retired chief justice Joseph Azzopardi revealed how Bartolo and his fellow minister Clint Camilleri were both found to have abused their power and breached ministerial ethics when they gave Bartolo’s partner (now wife) Amanda Muscat, a job as a highly paid consultant. 

Bartolo has since made a conditional apology, while a defiant Camilleri insisted he did nothing wrong.

Prime Minister Robert Abela accepted Bartolos' apology as "sufficient". 

Muscat, who originally was Bartolo’s personal secretary, was made a person of trust with Bartolo – at the time her boyfriend - before being transferred to Camilleri’s Gozo Ministry, where she earned €68,000 a year. 

But standards commissioner Joseph Azzopardi found that the transfer was effectively a fictitious one, as Muscat continued to do secretarial work for the tourism ministry while being paid as one of Camilleri’s persons of trust.

The report quotes Bartolo stating that when he hired Muscat “she had and has the necessary qualifications to work in the tourism sector (...)” yet, when questioned what qualifications she had the tourism minister said Muscat worked on a number of projects in the ministry and highlighted how they were not in a relationship while she was employed in the ministry.

“She had the necessary experience to work in the ministry,” Bartolo said, adding that his chief of staff said she had the necessary experience. 

An extract from the report quoting Bartolo stating Muscat had the "necessary qualifications" to work in the Tourism Ministry.

According to Muscat’s CV, she holds A Level and Intermediate exam certificates and obtained a diploma in Leadership and Management.

Her previous work experience was as a secretary or personal assistant at other entities. 

The commissioner also pointed out how Muscat’s CV showed no qualifications, experience or special expertise in any sector related to tourism to justify her two consultancy contracts. 

Why was Muscat provided an expertise allowance? 

As a consultant at the Tourism Ministry Muscat had a salary of €39,414, which was generously topped up to €61,888 with several allowances, including an expertise allowance, even though she was not qualified for the role and lacked specific experience in tourism.

Her transfer to the Gozo Ministry saw her salary raised to €40,183 and increased to €67,657 with allowances, including a raise in her expertise allowance from €15,000 to €20,000. 

According to the manual on resourcing policies and procedures, the maximum Expertise Allowance of €20,000 is provided in “exceptional cases” and after the approval by the Prime Minister. 

Bartolo said the manual did not specify what categories or qualifications were necessary to obtain the expertise allowance.

“At no time were the rules broken and the standards commissioner pointed this out,” Bartolo argued. He said the Standards Commissioner also recommended to review the manual.

He did not answer a question about what qualified his partner as an "exceptional case." 

“Whether you agree or not, the rules were never broken,” he said. 

“The rules were never broken, and there was never any fraud.”

When asked if Muscat would return the funds she received during her employment as a consultant, Bartolo said he would stick to what parliament's standards committee, which is analysing the report, recommends. 

The committee is made up of two government members and two Opposition members, with the Speaker holding a casting vote. 

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech has said the money paid out to Muscat  must be reimbursed and that both Bartolo and Camilleri must resign. 

The PN is also organising a protest on Monday over the scandal.