“Why didn’t he take immediate steps as soon as he found out about the case and ask the police to investigate the sexual harassment accusations in an entity he was directly responsible for? Why didn’t he take all necessary steps to safeguard the victim?”

“Why did he do nothing, with the result being that the victim had to resign because she couldn’t cope with the abuse?”

“Is the Prime Minister fine with having a minister in his Cabinet who concealed sexual harassment accusations instead of taking immediate action?”

In a statement, Bonnici criticised the Opposition for “turning the case into a political ball”.

“There is no room for partisan politics in issues related to sexual harassment at the workplace,” Bonnici said. “The Opposition must decide what avenue it wants to pursue. It cannot claim that impunity reigns” and that people are covering up for each other one day but then change its tune when people are prosecuted and state that the minister had failed to act in advance.”

“In this case, all the necessary action was taken expeditiously and all questions put forward by journalists were responded to in an open and transparent manner. The institutions worked and provided results, just as the government has done. The government will continue working to improve its work in cultural sectors for the good of the people of Malta.”

Mifsud was charged a week after a 31-year-old MPO employee, whose name cannot be revealed by court order, pleaded guilty to sexually harassing a female colleague, who then reportedly resigned due to “excessive stress”.

He was given a one-year imprisonment suspended for four years and placed under a five-year restraining order.

Times of Malta reported that Mifsud had allegedly summoned all MPO employees to a meeting to warn them not to speak out about the sexual harassment allegations.

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