President's ex-top aide prefers to remain mum

President George Abela's former head of secretariat, Olaf Terribile, has refused to comment about news reports in which his name is being linked with the leaking of confidential documents to journalists.

Dr Abela called a press conference on Saturday to declare he had lost faith in Mr Terribile and asked that he be replaced last month.

Speaking to The Times yesterday, a member of Mr Terribile's family said: "We have no comments to make at this stage."

During his press conference, the President announced that a board of inquiry had been appointed to "establish the facts".

He said his office had compiled an official report on the matter which would be submitted to the government's inquiry board headed by Alfred Fiorini Lowell, former head of the Public Service Commission.

Dr Abela said he did not know what the "leaked" documents were about but was worried about the interpretation being given to them.

The press conference was held in reaction to a series of newspaper reports alleging that Mr Terribile left his post after flagging financial irregularities.

The President denied all charges of financial irregularities in connection with the €32,000 refurbishment of the Sir Anthony Mamo room at San Anton Palace. He said the only reason questions were raised by the Finance Ministry was because Mr Terribile said he was not in a position to approve the bill, without saying the real reason: that he was no longer officially the head of secretariat when he received the request for his signature.

"When we explained the situation, the ministry said it had no idea Mr Terribile was leaving. The matter was settled and payment was approved," he said.

Dr Abela also rejected the accusation that his office was being extravagant and said that an audiovisual department within the Community Chest Fund was set up to save money on the subcontracting of audiovisual material during events like the annual marathon TV charity fund-raising campaign L-Istrina.

The Community Chest Fund employed Noel Pace and Fabian Mizzi at the audiovisual department but questions arose because they happened to be part of the production company Image 2000 where the President's spokesman is also a director.

Mr Terribile, a long-standing civil servant, has since returned to the Foreign Affairs Ministry. He was replaced by Joseph Church as the head of the President's secretariat.