Finance Minister Clyde Caruana has confirmed that Air Malta chairman and CEO David Curmi recieves an extra €10,000 a year as a director’s fee – even though Caruana had previously not revealed this information.

Caruana went on to say that he was informed by Curmi on Thursday about the €10,000 director’s fee he receives each year. He firmly denied any accusations of misleading Parliament.

Caruana worked to downplay the impact of an ethics complaint lodged against him for allegedly misleading Parliament. Caruana has taken steps to address the issue by sending a letter to the Speaker of the House.

In the correspondence, Caruana has clarified that in addition to his regular monthly earnings of €21,500, Curmi also receives an extra €10,000 annually as a director’s fee.

Curmi was brought in to lead Air Malta in January 2021, just before a major restructuring initiative aimed at averting bankruptcy. The restructuring involved cutting the national airline’s workforce in half and discontinuing unprofitable routes.

Independent candidate Arnold Cassola has called for an ethics investigation into allegations that finance minister Clyde Caruana falsely denied reports that Air Malta chairman David Curmi was receiving a salary of €250,000.

A Freedom of Information request by The Shift unveiled that Curmi was being paid €21,500 per month for his role as chairman of the national airline over a three-year period.

However, Caruana did not include this salary information when submitting a document to the House that listed the remuneration of appointees under his oversight. Instead, Caruana’s submission to the House indicated that Curmi was not receiving any compensation.