Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced on Tuesday his chief of staff Keith Schembri has resigned. He is being replaced by Mark Farrugia.

But who is the new chief of staff?

Mr Farrugia had, until recently, served as the Prime Minister’s deputy chief of staff, working alongside Mr Schembri at the Office of the Prime Minister.

The new chief of staff was one of the first group of journalists to join the Labour Party’s media house when it was first set up in the late 1980s and was appointed its director of information in the 1990s.

He has worked closely with the Prime Minister since he became party leader and also served as his personal assistant when he was Opposition leader prior to the 2013 general election that saw the Labour Party return to power.

Mr Farrugia was also Labour's head of communications in the 2003 election and referendum. At the time, Dr Muscat's wife, Michelle,worked as his assistant.

Despite both Mr Schembri and Mr Farrugia keeping low profiles, the outgoing chief of staff had shared a selfie with his deputy on the day of 2017 election, captioning the photo “Back at the office”. 

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister told journalists Mr Schembri had resigned his position as chief of staff. The announcement came as sources revealed that Mr Schembri was being questioned at police headquarters by investigators working on the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case.  

 

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