Explosives expert Jeffrey Curmi was yesterday appointed deputy commander of the Armed Forces of Malta.
He succeeds David Attard who retired from the army after being transferred to the Detention Services following the change of government.
Colonel Curmi’s promotion to the second highest rank in the army was announced in the Government Gazette yesterday, effective from October 4.
Ironically, on the same day Col Curmi took up his new position, Times of Malta reported Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia stating that a decision on his appointment had not yet been taken.
Col Curmi had long been touted to replace the current commander, Brigadier Martin Xuereb, who, a few days ago, announced his retirement from the AFM after 26 years of service.
Dr Mallia had denied exerting pressure on Brig. Xuereb to retire and said that following his departure in November he would still be serving the Government in a position abroad. Col Curmi was a major until three weeks ago when he first got promoted to lieutenant colonel on the recommendation of a promotions board that included the Dr Mallia’s deputy chief of staff and a member of his private secretariat’s customer care division.
Only last week, Lt Col Curmi was promoted to Colonel, on the recommendation of Dr Mallia.
The Opposition has been crying foul over the recent developments in the army, accusing the Government of getting rid of the most experienced officers and replacing them with Labour sympathisers. On Thursday, the Opposition filed a judicial protest against the Government arguing that the recent promotion exercise approved by Dr Mallia was illegal because it did not have the required recommendation of the commander, as requested by the law governing the armed forces.
Reacting to Col Curmi’s promotion to deputy commander, the PN’s spokesman for home affairs, Jason Azzopardi, told Times of Malta: “Minister Mallia has now completed his mission.”
Accusing the Government of taking the army back to the old days of political interference, Dr Azzopardi claimed that Col Curmi’s “explosive rise in the AFM’s ranks” is the result of his close personal friendship with the Prime Minister’s family.
Dr Azzopardi said Col Curmi had at least 10 years less experience than other colonels in the army and asked whether his promotion was based on meritocracy, as had been proposed by Labour before the election.