Former parliamentary secretary Deborah Schembri earns about €160,000 a year through public contracts awarded to her by direct orders, the Times of Malta is informed.

Dr Schembri, a mentor to budding Labour politicians in the so-called Lead programme, was granted two assignments by the Office of the Prime Minister and another two by the planning and lands watchdogs soon after losing her parliamentary seat in last year’s general election.

A lawyer by profession, she was appointed legal consultant by the Planning Authority and the Lands Authority, which until the last legislature fell directly under her political responsibility.

The Planning Authority already used the legal services of Abela Advocates, owned by Labour MP Robert Abela, and Dr Schembri was specifically tasked with giving legal advice to PA chairman Johann Buttigieg.

She was also named data protection officer on a three-year contract valued at €42,000 a year, excluding VAT.

As legal consultant at the Lands Authority, whose setting up she had coordinated in her capacity of planning parliamentary secretary, Dr Schembri replaced the in-house lawyers who resigned after the government refused to increase their salaries, sources said.

Although what Dr Schembri earns from the Lands Authority has not been quantified yet, a spokesman said she was being paid according to court tariffs determined by law depending on the number of cases she handled representing the lands watchdog.

For services to be rendered to the Office of the Prime Minister

Legal sources estimated this could run into tens of thousands of euros because payment also depended on the value of the land contested.

The contracts awarded to her by the Office of the Prime Minister are in connection with Identity Malta and legal consultant on a person-of-trust basis.

At Identity Malta, Dr Schembri is expected to serve “according to instructions given to her by the executive chairman”. Bound to work on at least 50 files a week, the contract, signed by former chairman Joe Vella Bonnici, entitles her to €56,000 a year, excluding VAT.

In the case of her Castille job, effective from July 3, 2017, a month after the last election, Dr Schembri works 35 hours a week and has a financial package of €60,654, including an expertise allowance, a car allowance and an expense allowance “for services to be rendered to the Office of the Prime Minister”.

This newspaper is informed that Dr Schembri returned to her private legal practice soon after losing her seat in Parliament.

ivan.camilleri@timesofmalta.com