A former government official-turned-whistleblower has opened up about being invited to join a secret society after the Labour Party were elected to government in 2013.

“When Labour entered office in 2013, there was a sudden rush of new Labourites joining freemasonry lodges,” Mark Camilleri, the former National Book Council Chairman, said in a new blog post.

“Some of these lifetime socialists saw an opportunity in the Labour government to advance their lives and careers and joining a freemasonry lodge facilitated this process,” he continued. “They dropped their socialist philosophies, bought sports cars, took lucrative government jobs and became freemasons.”

“Some of these people used to be my friends and I had refused to join when offered because as a principle, I don’t join cock-only clubs. Please send me where there are women.”

The Freemasons generally refers to a male-only global network of powerful elites often placed to be at the centre of conspiracy theories. Locally, Freemasonry has had a long history, dating back to the 18th century, with one openly Masonic Lodge – Villa Blye – situated in Paola, among others.

Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi and former magistrate Carol Peralta have openly admitted to being part of the group, while it has been alleged about others both in political life and otherwise. Since then, Azzopardi has left the Freemasons. 

There are a number of lodges dotted around the island, and Camilleri did not specify which lodge he may have been invited to. However, he continued to explain why he didn’t join such a group.

“I’m not a rent seeker so I would never join a secret society whose only role in society is mainly to build connections for rent seeking,” he said. “As of 2013, Labour built up a very comfortable relationship with freemasonry lodges and this was viewed as normal and harmless practice. However secret clubs have always played a role in the rent seeking regime of this country, small or big, relative to time and history.”

Freemasonry has long been associated with the darker side of Maltese politics; back in the 1920s, the Nationalist Party had even convinced a waiter named Terinu to sign an affidavit that he had seen Gerald Strickland – a political opponent – in Masonic gear.

Camilleri has published an expose’ of what he saw during his time in government in his new book A Rent Seeker’s Paradise. Since then, he has fled the country in the wake of the various serious allegations featured in the book.