Glenn Micallef Coy About Reasons For Resignation, Refuses To Address Rumours Of Brussels Posting
Glenn Micallef, the outgoing chief of staff to Prime Minister Robert Abela has refused to address rumours that his departure from Castille is in anticipation of him taking up a new role in Brussels.
Micallef informed Prime Minister Robert Abela of his intention to resign today. He said in a social media post that his resignation had “always been planned”. Micallef refused to elaborate on the reasons behind his departure when contacted by Lovin Malta.
He has recently been linked to a return to Brussels as one of Malta’s representatives at the EU, either as Malta’s permanent representative or its Commissioner.
“Now I’m just going home to enjoy my family. I sacrificed a lot throughout the years in that position, as do many others in politics,” he said, adding that he would “not speculate about rumours”.
Micallef was appointed to the role of OPM chief of staff shortly After Robert Abela was elected Prime Minister in 2020 and has played a key role in the administration of government affairs over the past four years. He previously served as the Director General of Malta’s EU Coordination Department and as an advisor to the Prime Minister on EU affairs, where he was responsible for overseeing the government’s coordination on EU-related issues.
In his Facebook post, the former Chief of Staff apologised to anyone he might have hurt or offended during his term in office.
When asked whether his departure from the Prime Minister’s office was related to the June election results and the narrowed gap between the parties, Micallef pointed to his statement, which he said was clear enough.
He went on to say that he doesn’t have “any comments whatsoever” on the gap between PL and PN, but insisted that the result was a good one, “given the circumstances”. Pressed to elaborate on the circumstances, Micallef replied that everyone knew “well enough what [he] was referring to”.
He refused to confirm whether what he was alluding to was the completion of the Magisterial Inquiry and its publication, which led to former PM Joseph Muscat, his former Chief of Staff Keith Schembri, former Deputy PM Chris Fearne, and former Ministers Konrad Mizzi and Edward Scicluna, among others, being charged.
In his resignation letter to the Prime Minister, Micallef recalled several challenges they had worked on together. “A pandemic, the FATF greylisting, international crises caused by war, an influx of irregular migrants, inquiries, protests, and more.”
When Lovin Malta asked Micallef about his plans after his departure from the role, he replied, He went on to say that at this stage, he will be enjoying his time with his family after “sacrificing a lot throughout the years in the position”.
The role of Chief of Staff is arguably one of the most influential political roles in the country, with Micallef being among the youngest to assume such a position.
Meanwhile, Colonel Mark Mallia, who holds degrees in law and business management from the University of Malta, has been appointed head of the secretariat at the Office of the Prime Minister. Mallia previously served as the AFM deputy commander, led Identity Malta, and was appointed CEO of Transport Malta.
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