The rule of law group Repubblika on Tuesday scorned an explanation given for Joseph Muscat's consultancy contract with people his government negotiated with for a casino deal, and again demanded action by the police.

Times of Malta revealed on Sunday that months after resigning as prime minister, Muscat was handed a €11,800 monthly consultancy contract by a casino tycoon, less than a year after he oversaw a government deal involving the Dragonara Casino. 

Repubblika said the official explanation for the consultancy contract could not be believed.

"Joseph Muscat and his client want us to believe that a company which has an income of some €13,000 annually through the sale of birds is prepared to engage a consultant who is paid almost  €12,000 monthly. Joseph Muscat could have been the biggest genius - and he isn't - but no company ever pays a consultant ten times more than it earns." 

Joseph Muscat could act in this way because those who were supposed to investigate corruption were scared of him, Repubblika said.   

The group said it was confident that the truth, the work of some journalists and the courage of a few public officers who were loyal to their duties would finally ensure that justice was served and all the thieves were imprisoned. 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.