Top civil servants who didn’t resign are replaced

Two former permanent secretaries who refused to resign on the change of government were still replaced, Times of Malta has learnt.

This newspaper is informed that Peter Portelli, who was at the Tourism Ministry, and Christopher Ciantar, who served at the Resources and Rural Affairs Ministry, have not yet been assigned new duties.

It is not yet known whether the two civil servants, who preferred not to comment, will challenge the decision to remove them in court.

The former permanent secretaries who agreed to resign are being assigned different jobs, even though they will be on a lower grade meaning a reduction of €8,000 a year in salary and allowances.

Days after Labour swept to power, the Government replaced principal permanent secretary Godwin Grima with Mario Cutajar, a former deputy general secretary of the General Workers’ Union, and asked all permanent secretaries to offer their resignation.

Just three of the permanent secretaries of the previous administration were retained.

Pressed in Parliament over this issue, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat defended the Government’s actions, saying all procedures were observed after consultations with the Public Service Commission.

Dr Muscat said it was normal for permanent secretaries to offer their resignation when there was a new government.

He said there were instances under the previous administration where permanent secretaries had been asked to resign or were replaced.

A former senior official who served under the previous administration said although permanent secretaries were appointed on a three-year contract, they were never asked to resign after an election. Some were only replaced when their contract expired.

Dr Muscat said Mr Portelli, and Mr Ciantar would still receive their salary as permanent secretaries for 90 days, as stipulated by their contract.