Updated 3pm with video clip

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Thursday confirmed that Neville Gafà is contracted by the government, but said he did not know which ministry he works for.

Mr Gafà showed up for a meeting in Libya last week, where he was pictured holding talks with the Libyan government.

Video: Chris Sant Fournier

When asked, both Mr Gafà and the Prime Minister’s office failed to explain to Times of Malta what he was up to in Libya.

“I have no time to waste in explaining anything”, Mr Gafa had said.

Questioned about Mr Gafà's trip on Thursday, Dr Muscat said he was part of a team of people who went to Libya. Mr Gafà had used his contacts in the country to represent the government.

Asked which specific ministry employs Mr Gafà, Dr Muscat retorted that he is “employed by the government”.

“I do not know what his contract says and I don't have it on me at the moment,” the Prime Minister said.

Last year, the government was forced to deny Mr Gafà was acting as a special envoy to the Prime Minister during a December trip to Libya, during which he met a militia member.

A Labour Party activist, Mr Gafà  has been hitting the headlines since Labour was returned to power, and was soon put on the government’s payroll as a person of trust.

His name had cropped up in investigations connected to the issue of medical visas to Libyan refugees though he never faced criminal charges.

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