Watch: Amanda Muscat Will Have To Pay Back Salary Discrepancy, Robert Abela Says
Prime Minister Robert Abela has confirmed that Clayton Bartolo’s wife, Amanda Muscat, will have to pay back the salary discrepancy of what she earned as a consultant as opposed to the secretarial work she carried out.
Muscat was granted a salary of €68,000 annually for a consultancy job in Clint Camilleri’s Gozo Ministry despite not having the qualifications and subsequently not doing the work, a standards commissioner report found.
Speaking to journalists outside of Castille, the Prime Minister revealed that Bartolo’s resignation was prompted by information that surfaced in “recent hours”, unrelated to the findings of the standards commissioner. While the specifics remain undisclosed, the new allegations reportedly raise serious concerns.
When the news of the scandal broke out, Abela stated that the salary discrepancy Muscat earned as a consultant and the work she carried out is €16,000.
However, a Times of Malta fact check found that Muscat received €23,000 than she would have if she remained Bartolo’s private secretary. Abela was quoting Muscat’s salary net of tax and social security contributions.
Abela confirmed that Bartolo was not only made to resign from Cabinet but he was expelled from the Labour Party’s parliamentary group. He will continue as an independent MP.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ian Borg will take Bartolo’s place as Tourism Minister.
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