Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Monday that he is looking into all the facts before making any decisions over a €60,000 direct order given to the daughter of a top ministry adviser. 

“Any decisions that need to be taken, as I have done in the last 15 months, will be taken,” he told MaltaToday outside parliament, adding that he still has to establish all the facts surrounding the case.

“I only found out about the case on Monday following the reports made by the media,” said Abela.

Times of Malta broke the news that Jesmond Zammit’s daughter, Adreana Zammit, was awarded a €62,400 contract by direct order to serve as a junior lawyer with the ministry on October 24, 2019, months before she graduated as a lawyer or obtained her warrant to practice in court.

Jesmond Zammit is one of the top advisers to Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg. 

In August of the following year, Zammit was awarded an additional direct order for a “legal consultation agreement” that lasted six months and netted the junior lawyer another €46,142.

By the end of 2020, just one year after graduating, Zammit was paid at least €108,542 in direct orders for her legal services. 

Abela said that Zammit had already graduated when she was employed.

According to the University of Malta website, the Faculty of Laws graduation ceremony for 2019 was held on November 19, weeks after Zammit received the €62,400 direct order.

Journalists also tried to question minister Ian Borg, who ignored the questions. 

Earlier on Monday, independent candidate Arnold Cassola called on Commissioner for Standards in Public Life George Hyzler to investigate Borg over the Times of Malta revelations.

Cassola said the abuse was aggravated by the fact that Zammit was the daughter of the minister's advisor.