What had to be an emergency Sliema council meeting to discuss work of the executive secretary this evening, turned out to be a half-hour meeting during which the mayor read a declaration that the council would continue to function as before for the benefit of the locality.

No indication was given during the meeting, to which all the media were present, as to what the difficulties had been and whether any meetings had been held in the past weeks to solve these problems.

Executive secretary Svetlana Curmi said when asked she would take direction from what the councillors decided.

Local government director Martin Bugelli was also present as an observer.

Contrary to what had been expected, Mayor Nikki Dimech did not present any motions and when asked, after the meeting, if it was true that a meeting for the Nationalist Party councillors had been held at the PN headquarters today and what was discussed, he said he did not want to comment because of the ongoing investigation.

The meeting, which had to be held last Friday at 4.30 p.m., had to be cancelled when Mr Dimech found the council offices closed as the chosen time was outside that stipulated by law.

He admitted he had not been to the council for about six to eight weeks because an investigation into alleged financial irregularities had started.

Ms Curmi was instrumental in flagging financial irregularities within the council, now being investigated by the government's Internal Audit Department, over the extension of a tender that was way beyond the amount the council could legally authorise without issuing a tender.