Clayton Bartolo Resigns As Tourism Minister Following Controversy
UPDATED: Clayton Bartolo resigned as Tourism Minister and Labour MP earlier today in light of a second scandal that is unrelated to the standards commissioner report that found he abused his ministerial power by granting his wife a high-paying consultancy job while she did secretarial work.
Abela said that new information that surfaced in recent hours led to the decision of Bartolo’s complete expulsion from the Labour Party however this is yet to be disclosed.The Times of Malta asked the government about this second scandal a couple of days ago and will be revealing the details later today.
The Prime Minister said that Bartolo will be replaced by Deputy PM and Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg while he will remain in parliament as an independent MP. Amanda Muscat, Bartolo’s wife, will also be made to pay back the excess salary she earned as a “consultant”.
Bartolo reportedly spoke with Prime Minister Robert Abela yesterday evening and again this morning, where he submitted his resignation.
In previous weeks, the Tourism Minister has issued an apology however had adamantly stated that “no one is perfect” and he “will continue focusing on my work for the tourism industry.”
Despite stepping down from his ministerial post he will continue serving as a Labour backbencher.
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