Planning Authority Retainer For Prime Minister’s Law Firm More Than Doubled Since 2013
A Planning Authority (PA) retainer for Prime Minister Robert Abela’s law firm rose from €7,300 monthly (in 2013) to €17,110 (in 2019), Times of Malta has reported.
Abela Advocates received remuneration that amounted to €1.2 million during the time, and for work that is, in no small part, handled in-house by the PA.
Additionally, the group also received tens of thousands from the PA for court fees.
A spokesperson for Abela defended the remuneration, attributing the fees to very long hours which also “extended to the weekends.”
The direct order was initially awarded to Abela’s father, former Maltese President George Abela’s firm, in conjunction with planning law expert Ian Stafrace in Abela, Stafrace, and Associates, and the agreement subsequently expired in 2011.
Rather than issuing a renewed call for applications, the PA extended Abela’s agreement.
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