Fiery veteran Labour MP Joe Debono Grech has been appointed by the government as the Gozo Ministry’s consultant on public works, The Sunday Times of Malta has confirmed.
The decision taken by the Office of the Prime Minister will mean the 74-year-old MP will be paid extra over his parliamentary honorarium and pension, according to sources close to the ministry.
His role will be to ensure that employees actually go to work
Asked to confirm the job and to state what he will be doing in his new role, Mr Debono Grech declined to comment.
“I have nothing to tell you about this. If you want, contact the Office of the Prime Minister as they will be able to answer,” he said before hanging up the phone.
The Gozo Ministry later confirmed he has been recruited as a consultant with a salary of “under €12,000 annually”. A spokesman for Gozo Minister Anton Refalo said the Labour MP will be paid “according to government’s salary scale and consultant’s guidelines”.
The spokesman declined to reply to other questions, particularly about Mr Debono Grech’s role and whether he will also receive benefits such as telephone and car allowances on top of his pay.
Sources told The Sunday Times of Malta that on Thursday, Mr Debono Grech toured the offices of the Public Works division in Gozo and was introduced as the minister’s new consultant.
The sources said Mr Debono Grech’s role will be to ensure employees within various departments in the Gozo Ministry actually go to work and perform their duties.
A similar consultancy post was given a few months ago to Labour MP Silvio Schembri, who was recruited by Economy Minister Chris Cardona as his consultant with a salary of some €40,000 and other perks.
Mr Debono Grech, a former transport minister elected every time since 1976, is known for his brash manner.
He is a frequent visitor to Gozo and also owns property on the island.
Since Labour’s return to power last March, several MPs who were not given Cabinet posts have been appointed to other executive positions within the government with separate remuneration on top of their parliamentary honorarium.
These include: Luciano Busuttil, appointed chairman of the Malta Sports Council; Deo Debattista, chairman of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority; Michael Falzon, Anti-bureaucracy Commissioner; Charles Buhagiar, chairman of the Building Industry Consultative Council and Silvio Parnis, chairman of the Consultative Council for the South.
Other Labour MPs were appointed to chair parliamentary committees that entail extra remuneration and others were appointed on other government boards.