Labour deputy leader Toni Abela has been awarded another contract by the government, to provide legal consultancy on oil exploration.
Dr Abela had already been contracted to give legal advice to Transport Minister Joe Mizzi, in two contracts together worth €52,000.
He is now receiving another €21,498 a year to act as legal consultant to the Oil Exploration Department, which also falls under Mr Mizzi.
Last August, the Times of Malta revealed that Dr Abela had acted as legal consultant to the Transport Minister until the end of March 2015.
When asked to state whether he had been awarded any other government contracts after that, Dr Abela did not reply.
But in April 2013, a month after Labour’s return to power, Dr Abela was also engaged as legal consultant to the Social Solidarity Ministry in a contract worth €20,650 a year.
The information on his latest appointment was given in Parliament to PN MP Kristy Debono.
He is now receiving another €21,498 a year to act as legal consultant to the Oil Exploration Department
Since March 2013, Dr Abela has also been engaged as personal advisor to the Prime Minister and regularly attends Cabinet meetings. He receives no remuneration for this role, only allowances connected to the use of his mobile phone.
In September 2014, he was also appointed a member of the Board of Directors of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. However, he has forfeited the remuneration of some €200 every three months which came with this appointment.
According to other parliamentary replies given to Ms Debono, a number of officials or former employees of the PL have been engaged as government consultants.
Julia Farrugia, a former One News journalist, has been given €900 a month in a direct order to provide “media consultancy” to Gozo Minister Anton Refalo. She was also engaged as a person of trust in a full-time job as communications coordinator at Projects Malta under the political responsibility of Minister Konrad Mizzi.
Pierre Cachia, a former TV floor manager at One TV, has been given three direct contracts over the last 12 months.
Apart from providing PR consultancy to Finance Minister Edward Scicluna for €2,167 a month, he has been engaged by Minister Joe Mizzi, in a direct order, to coordinate the promotion of “a national campaign against litter”, at a cost of €18,404. And Environment Minister Leo Brincat is hiring Mr Cachia for “media related services and advice” at €1,180 a month.
Gozo Minister Anton Refalo tasked Lydia Abela, the secretary to Labour’s executive committee, to provide legal services on the cruise liner terminal project in a direct order worth €17,000.