Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi said yesterday the government had instructed the Enemalta chairman to immediately terminate the contract of a police inspector who had recently been boarded out from the force, as his engagement with the corporation was unacceptable.

Dr Mizzi’s request followed a presentation in Parliament by Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela of an affidavit taken by the Medical Board coordinator, who denied there had been any favouritism in the speedy boarding out of the inspector.

The affidavit was taken after Shadow Minister Jason Azzopardi had asked if it was normal or acceptable that a police inspector was boarded out in a matter of days, following which he had been offered a job in Enemalta’s internal audit department with a pay close to €60,000 a year.

Dr Abela said the Opposition had not been fair in its comments, first made last week while he was away on ministerial duties. The parliamentary question had been answered in full, and he had become aware of the identity of the inspector only after his return to Malta and the start of an investigation into the Opposition’s comments.

This shady deal had been kept under wraps by the government until details were revealed in Parliament

According to the Medical Board coordinator, the boarding-out procedure had been followed to the letter without any favouritism, and he had not been approached by anyone to speed things up in any way.

The coordinator had declared that the board had always been due to meet on April 21 and that the inspector and another applicant (not connected with the police) had been slotted in because there had been fewer than the normal 15 applicants heard at every meeting.

Mr Abela said the Opposition could have made its unfair comments due to the identity of the inspector’s father, whom he did not name.

The Nationalist Party last night said this “shady deal” had been kept under wraps by the government until details of the engagement were revealed in Parliament.

Dr Mizzi’s measure, it said, was merely a reaction to the public outcry against Joseph Muscat’s government which had failed miserably in its pledge of meritocracy.