Jonathan Attard. Photo: FacebookAn aide at the Economy Ministry was sent to China to “follow and report back” on the 30-minute meeting between a PN delegation and Sai Mizzi-Liang, the Times of Malta has learnt.
A senior diplomat from the Maltese Embassy in Beijing, Bernard Hamilton, was accompanying Ms Mizzi-Liang during the meeting in Shanghai but the government still felt the need to dispatch Economy Ministry spokesman Jonathan Attard, a former Labour media journalist,.
When contacted, Mr Attard refused to speak on his whirlwind visit to Shanghai. “I will not answer questions about me personally. Please direct your questions to my boss, government chief spokesman Kurt Farrugia, so he can reply,” Mr Attard said.
Questions sent to Mr Farrugia last Monday remained unanswered at the time of writing. He also failed to return calls and text messages.
The Times of Malta asked Mr Farrugia to state who decided to send Mr Attard all the way to China for a brief meeting, why the government chose to incur such costs when it already had a diplomatic officer attending the meeting and what was the scope of Mr Attard’s presence in Shanghai.
I will not answer questions about me personally
Although the PN’s delegation, led by party leader Simon Busuttil, had a week-long programme of meetings in China, including official talks with Malta’s Ambassador in Beijing, Clifford Borg Marks, Mr Attard was only present for the meeting between the PN and Ms Mizzi-Liang, Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi’s wife, this newspaper is informed.
Government communication coordinators, who are appointed on a person of trust basis and form part of the ministers’ private secretariats, usually accompany ministers on trips abroad. This does not seem to have been the case in Mr Attard’s trip to China.
Asked to give a breakdown of the costs of Mr Attard’s visit, the government spokesman did not reply.
Enquiries made by the Times of Malta shows that the cheapest Malta-Shanghai-Malta air tickets would cost about €1,700 and takes about 36 hours to complete.
It is not yet known how long Mr Attard spent in Shanghai, if he travelled alone and whether other costs were incurred, including in hotel accommodation, transport and subsistence allowances.