Mcast vice-principal Vince Maione will be relinquishing his post after four years in office, the Times of Malta is informed.
When contacted, Mr Maione insisted his departure had nothing to do with any of the ongoing investigations at the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology. “I was informed by the minister my three-year contract would not be renewed again,” he said.
Noting he had been working at Mcast for the past 15 years and, thus, this could be a good opportunity for him to move to greener pastures, Mr Maione would not say if he had asked for his contract not to be renewed or whether it was a decision by Education Minister Evarist Bartolo.
“I would not like to comment on that,” he replied when asked.
Times of Malta is informed the minister offered Mr Maione a new position at the ministry that is extraneous to Mcast. Questions sent to Mr Bartolo if Mr Maione’s departure was linked to ongoing investigations into claims of abuse and nepotism and whether the post of vice-principal would be abolished remained unanswered by the time of writing.
The minister has offered Maione a new position at the ministry that is extraneous to Mcast
Sources close to the college said the internal inquiry board, headed by financial consultant Paul Bonello, was also looking into claims of nepotism and improper administration involving the office of the vice-principal.
Read: Mcast manager resigns as sexual misconduct probe continues
The internal inquiry was ordered following serious allegations, which, according to the government, reached the Education Ministry earlier this summer following changes in the top echelons of the college.
Fredrick Schembri succeeded Silvio Debono as Mcast chairman and former Education Ministry permanent secretary James Calleja replaced Stephen Cachia as principal earlier this year.
According to the government, the inquiry is looking into allegations “of an operative and administrative” nature made by a senior staff member.
The police were also investigating claims of a criminal nature, it said. The Times of Malta reported that the allegations of a criminal nature involved claims of sexual harassment by some lecturers in a programme for intellectually-challenged students called Pathway.
Dr Debono admitted he was aware of the claims of sexual harassment adding that, under his watch, an internal inquiry had been held and a report with recommendations had been passed on to the principal for action to be taken.
A copy of the report had also been forwarded to the Education Ministry.
This report was submitted last year, months before the government said it had asked the police to investigate.