Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli has given the Malta Tourism Authority eight weeks to give her a thorough review of all existing contracts, following the scandalous contract given to her predecessor Konrad Mizzi shortly after his resignation as Minister.

Mizzi was given an €80,400 consultancy contract two weeks after he stepped down as minister in the wake of the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder investigation, effectively giving him a 25 per cent raise.

Farrugia Portelli rescinded the contract after it was leaked in the press and pledged to investigate all other contracts under her ministry.

Asked if she had been given any updates since she triggered the internal investigation, Farrugia Portelli told Lovin Malta: “I am not an investigator. I am not Sherlock Holmes. I am not the Police Commissioner. But I triggered these internal mechanisms and I sent the terms of reference to the chair and the CEO of the agency in question. I gave them eight weeks’ chance to revert with a review of all existing contracts. When the final reports arrive I will be communicating with you and taking decisions.”

Asked if she was comfortable working with MTA CEO Johann Buttigieg, given that he signed the contract, Farrugia Portelli said she was comfortable working with everyone except two types of people: those who are very slow to act and those who act behind politicians’ backs.

Meanwhile, a number of individuals began reporting to work the morning after she issued a stern warning, she told Lovin Malta.

“My message was heard loud and clear because although I was going to revoke secondments between one entity and another, it was not necessary because employees started showing up to work the next day,” she said, adding that this also applied to MPs.

“Everybody should give their honest day of work until the last minute. Even if there are certain conditions given to MPs to accommodate parliamentary hours, we will tolerate abuse by nobody,” she said.