Robert Abela’s €370,000 in savings and an undisclosed rental income, Anton Refalo’s 16 properties and Ian Borg’s “spouse in catering” are among the details that can be gleaned from the latest ministerial declarations of assets tabled in parliament.
The declarations, which cover between 2020 and 2021, were tabled in parliament on Monday just before the announcement of the 2023 Budget.
They detail the financial holdings of members of the Abela Cabinet as well as those who were left out after the 2022 election.
The declarations come less than a week after the Nationalist Party called on the forms to be made public insisting this was the latest they had ever been published.
You can read the full declarations here.
Attached files
Who declared what?
Robert Abela
Prime Minister Robert Abela, who is paid €65,000 as head of government, declared an unspecified amount of rental income which he said had been declared in his tax forms which are not made public.
He also holds over €374,000 in bank savings across five local banks.
He declared three properties; an apartment in Marsaxlokk, a property in Żejtun, and one in Xewkija, Gozo. It is understood that Abela rents out his Żejtun property to foreign nationals.
According to his financial declarations, Abela holds a portfolio of financial holdings, including government stocks worth €5,000, along with other stakes in Hili Properties plc and HSBC Bank Malta.
Chris Fearne
Deputy Prime minister Chris Fearne declared an income of €65,419 in 2021. He has €100,600 deposited in the bank and his wife has another €123,000.
Fearne, a surgeon, also has a further 186,112 invested with Lombard Bank’s investment portfolio, while his wife has the same amount.
He has €23,500 in government stock, €25,000 in APS Bonds, and €42,900 in BOV’s Lifelink.
Fearne also owns three properties and did not declare having any home loans. These include; his family home in Tarxien, a nearby garage, and a farmhouse in Żejtun’s Bir id-Deheb.
Michael Farrugia
Former Family Minister Michael Farrugia declared an income of €65,019 along with €13,549 from his pension and a modest €304 in rental income. He has a loan of just over €3,000 and the same again as an overdraft - both from BOV.
The ex-minister, who also declared being the honorary president of Naxxar’s Marija Bambina Band Club, declared significant bank deposits.
According to his declaration form, the minister has €569,920 deposited in BOV, and €70,521 and €21,124 in two separate savings accounts with HSBC.
He declared four properties; his family home in Naxxar, another property in Birkirkara, half a property in Birżebbuġa, and a plot in the Addolorata cemetery.
Owen Bonnici
Heritage Minister Owen Bonnici declared an annual income of €65,419. In the bank, he has a further €39,387 in BOV savings and €838 in his current account with the same bank.
Bonnici has two loans with BOV, one for €52,366 and another for €67,676.
He declared owning two interconnected apartments in Valletta and a share of a property in Żejtun.
Bonnici also declared being the honorary president of two band clubs and a boċċi club.
Ian Borg
Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg declared €65,419 in earnings for the year 2020. He also declared loans totalling €282,352. Borg has €15,344 in bank deposits.
Borg said that he has a “spouse in catering” and no separation of assets.
In brick and mortar, Borg declared a Rabat apartment which was donated to him by his parents in 2011 and which is listed as being leased.
He also listed a Dingli office, a Rabat office, a Rabat field, and his matrimonial home, also in Rabat.
Michael Falzon
Family Minister Michael Falzon said his only income was his ministerial salary of €65,419. He crossed out the section on loans writing “not applicable”.
Falzon has considerable bank deposits. These include €107,625 in BOV savings, €380,000 in a BOV fixed account, and €2,816 in another BOV savings account.
He also declared having UK sterling savings of £127,960.
Falzon listed his matrimonial home in ebbuġ and a plot of agricultural land in Baħija in the limits of Rabat.
Anton Refalo
Property owner Anton Refalo, the Gozitan minister for agriculture, declared an impressive €159,745 in income in 2021.
He also has €408,000 in outstanding bank loans. The minister owns so many properties that they had to be submitted in a separate document.
His 16 properties include multiple offices and apartments in Gozo, an inheritance from his late mother, and two other apartments in Msida, Malta.
Roderick Galdes
Housing Minister Roderick Galdes submitted relatively modest declarations to the house. He said he earned €65,419 as a minister and no other income above that.
He has €23,590 in the bank and €258,963 in loans.
Silvio Schembri
Economy Minister Silvio Schembri earned just a minister’s salary of €65,419 in 2021 and listed owning one property in Luqa against an outstanding home loan of around €13,000.
He also has €102,160 in bank savings between him and his wife.
Under investments, Schembri declared a portfolio which includes shares in BOV and MIDI plc among others.
Julia Farrugia Portelli
Minister for Inclusion Julia Farrugia Portelli declared a government salary of €65,019 for 2021.
She also has an outstanding loan of €283,183.
In the bank, she has joint savings of €77,949 and declared owning three properties. A residential property in Rabat, a place in Qrendi and a clinic in Balzan.
Aaron Farrugia
Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia declared a government salary of €65,418 for 2021 and said there was “none” other.
He has a €240,000 outstanding loan and listed his matrimonial home in Żebbuġ.
Farrugia listed €13,000 worth of bank savings.
Clint Camilleri
Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri declared earning a ministerial salary of €65,427 but also had positive earnings from other activities.
These include €20,000 in property rentals, a €4,700 income from a share in a property sale, and even €2,000 from feed-in tariffs.
He also listed a dividend of €490.
Camilleri also has €187,000 in bank savings across five accounts between BOV and HSBC.
In the section on the property, the minister simply wrote “as per last year”.
Byron Camilleri
Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri declared no income over and above his minister’s salary of €65,420.
He also declared bank deposits of €87,573 in his personal name and a further €1,455 in an account he shares with his wife.
Camilleri listed part ownerships of two Fgura properties. He declared a 3/4 share of one and a 2/11th share of the other.
He also has a life insurance policy worth some €3,000.
Clayton Bartolo
Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo declared no income above his wage as a minister of €65,419.
He also declared having €39,654 in the bank and an outstanding loan of €255,952.
In immovables, the minister declared having a residential apartment and Garage in his hometown of Mellieha of which he is the sole owner.
Miriam Dalli
Energy and Environment Minister Miriam Dalli’s declaration shows an impressive €423,000 in bank savings. She specified that these include accounts held by her underage children.
The lawyer and former MEP declared a ministerial wage of €58,418 in 2020, having taken up a seat in the house and entering cabinet midway through the year.
She listed an outstanding loan of €4,671 and one apartment in Mosta.
Clyde Caruana
Finance Minister Clyde Caruana earned €65,419 as a minister and a further €3,943 as a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta in 2021.
In the bank, he declared 185,483 between himself and his wife and listed one residential property in Kalkara.
The minister listed an outstanding loan of €313,928 with APS bank.
Clifton Grima
Education Minister Clifton Grima listed an income of €62,669 for 2020.
He also listed an outstanding BOV home loan of €141,612 and a family loan of €210,000.
With “local banks”, Grima said he had €33,203 in deposits.
He also declared a home and garage in Birkirkara and an apartment in St Julians.
Jonathan Attard
Justice Minister Jonathan Attard entered government after the last general election.
He listed his 2021 earnings as ‘not applicable'.
A lawyer, he enjoyed several consultancies and government appointments over the years since the 2013 return of Labour to office.
He declared €363,000 in savings and has just over €580,000 in home loans.
He also listed a home and a separate apartment in Mellieha.
Jo-Etienne Abela
Minister for Active Aging Jo-Etienne Abela, a medical consultant, gave no details of his 2021 salary or credit situation, marking them as “0” or leaving them blank. He was not obliged to, having only been elected in 2022.
The only thing Abela listed were his bank deposits which total €300,100.
Andy Ellul
Parliamentary Secretary for Social Dialogue and government whip Andy Ellul entered public life after the 2022 election.
He did not list his salary for 2021, but did provide information for all the other categories.
He declared €182,000 in bank deposits and €74,573 in outstanding bank loans.
He declared full ownership of the consultancy business Lex Group Ltd.
He also declared half a cabin cruiser, half a Madliena property, and an office block in Paola.
Alison Zerafa Civelli
Newly appointed Culture Parliamentary Secretary Alison Zerafa Civelli also was not obliged to list her income for 2021.
The prime minister's sister-in-law declared having resigned from all official posts after being appointed to cabinet following the 2022 election.
She declared deposits of €56,416, €64,444, and €5,500 across HSBC, BOV and BNF.
She also owns two properties, one in Kalkara and another in Xaghra, Gozo and has outstanding loans totalling €220,997.
Alicia Bugeja Said
New Fisheries Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said was not obliged to declare her income for 2021.
She said she has “€0” in outstanding loans and holds €131,701 in bank deposits.
She also listed €15,000 worth of investments.
Bugeja Said has a three-bedroom apartment in Mgarr which she said was her primary residence.
Chris Bonett
Sports Parliamentary Secretary Chris Bonett was not obliged to declare an income for 2021 as he was not a minister at the time.
He said he had a €17,518 outstanding loan and no immovable property.
He also has no investments.
Bonett listed €52,915 in deposits and said he has an overseas pension fund.
Rebecca Buttigieg
Until last year Buttigieg was employed as a communications officer with government ministers.
Having been elected to parliament in 2022, she is today parliamentary secretary for reforms.
She was not obliged to declare any salary.
She declared 42,046 in the bank and has €77,908 in outstanding loans.
Buttigieg has no investments and listed one residential property - an apartment in Mosta.
Keith Azzopardi Tanti
A former mayor and now Local Councils Parliamentary Secretary Keith Azzopardi Tanti was elected in 2022 and was therefore not obliged to declare his income for 2021.
He declared bank deposits totalling €17,438 and no outstanding loans.
He holds €20,300 in government stock and owns a Maisonette in Pieta.
Chris Agius
Construction Parliamentary Secretary Chris Agius declared a rental income of 8,400 over and above his government salary of €63,052.
He has a further €77,555 and €53,176 in deposits in two separate BOV accounts.
The junior minister, known as 'il Wefi', declared two minor outstanding loans; €3.306 for a car and a further €2,900 on credit cards.
He listed just one property in a residential alley in Cospicua - his hometown.
Alex Muscat
Backbencher and former junior minister Alex Muscat declared €56,059 as a parliamentary secretary in 2021along with €5,400 in rental income
He listed an outstanding BOV loan of €37,654.
Muscat declared €122,362 in deposits with HSBC and BOV.
He also declared a house in Rabat, half a property in Mosta, another apartment in Mosta, and an office also in Mosta.
He is the honorary president of three band clubs.
Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi
Planning Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi declared an income of €63,000 for 2021.
He listed outstanding loans under a body corporate to the tune of €43,452.
In a separate document, he listed his family’s detailed financial holdings, including his children.
In his personal current and savings accounts, Zrinzo Azzopardi declared some €78,843.
He also has joint accounts with his wife which have a savings plan and guaranteed a loan to their business.
In the property section, Zrinzo Azzopardi has an emphyteusis on a Naxxar house.
Deo Debattista
Backbencher Deo Debattista, formerly a parliamentary secretary, listed an income of €63,503 as a parliamentary secretary in 2021.
Listing his full name as ‘Jude Taddeo Debattista’, the family doctor declared an outstanding loan of €30,000 with BOV.
He declared €53,000 in deposits across four bank accounts and listed ownership of four properties in Mosta, Mellieha, Sliema, and Attard.
José Herrera
Former Minister José Herrera declared owning a Sliema flat and garage, along with a garden in Mosta, an office in Valletta, a villa in Lija, a portion of a house in Sliema and another in St Paul’s Bay, and a stake in two properties being developed in Gzira and Senglea.
He also declared having an 11% shareholding in a company named Quality Home Limited, which was reactivated by a court order in January 2019.
He declared an income of €58,425 as a minister and a further €5,000 in rent.
The lawyer who returned to private practice after he was not returned to parliament in the last election, declared some €165,000 in savings with Banif and a further €40,000 with HSBC.
Carmelo Abela
Former minister Carmelo Abela declared an annual income of €65,419 and bank loans totalling €86,744.
He declared €22,508 in bank deposits in his name with a further €52,499 held by his wife.
Abela also declared two properties, one in Żejtun and another in Marsascala.
Edward Zammit Lewis
Former minister Edward Zammit Lewis declared an income of €58,426 for 2021. He was left out of the cabinet after the last election despite having been elected.
He has €240,000 in bank loans and €85,000 despited in the bank.
The lawyer also has €105,000 in investments.
In property, he declared two neighbouring addresses in Birkirkara and another property in nearby.
He is the honorary president of band clubs in Lija and Birkirkara and the Lija Athletic football club.