Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela continues to ignore questions over whether he will ask for Justyne Caruana’s resignation as Education Minister in the wake of a damning report calling for a criminal investigation into a dodgy direct order she handed out to her boyfriend, Daniel Bogdanovic. 

Lovin Malta sent questions to Abela soon after the report’s conclusions were released. There has been no acknowledgement by the Prime Minister, who was seemingly focused on the long holiday weekend rather than the gross misconduct of a Cabinet member. 

Abela was appointed Prime Minister after the resignation of Joseph Muscat, who was forced to step down after refusing to take action on major scandals when it was desperately obvious and necessary.

However, Caruana is not the only member of Abela’s Cabinet who has escaped punishment. Carmelo Abela remains Minister despite allegations of criminal activity. Meanwhile, Rosianne Cutajar was removed from Cabinet but remains very much part of the Labour Party structure. 

Caruana had granted Bogdanovic, a former footballer, a three-month contract worth €15,000 to visit government schools and draft recommendations on how to improve the national sports school’s ability to produce elite athletes. He did not even conduct said work.

Bogdanovic was an elite athlete in his own right, playing for the likes of Barnsley, Sheffield United and Blackpool in his prime. However, his contract with the Education Ministry raised eyebrows given his lack of pedagogical qualifications and his personal relationship with the Minister.

The Standards Commissioner has described Caruana’s actions as an “abuse of power” after she led an effort to hide Bogdanovic’s evident incompetence for a job that was eventually handled by consultant Paul Debattista. 

The report will be published in full, save for some personal details on Caruana’s children.