Updated - Government, ministry spokeswomen give conflicting versions -
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this morning that no perversion of the system for the appointment of persons 'in a position of trust' was committed when the Ministry of Home Affairs engaged a person as a dog handler.
Replying to questions on whether dog handlers and cleaners should be among those engaged on a position of trust, Dr Muscat said that he would want persons he could trust in his own office.
Dr Muscat said that unlike the previous administration, people who were engaged on a position of trust had not been employed 'illegally'. In the near future, he said, more information about what used to take place in the past would be revealed.
The dog handler was among 64 persons engaged in a position of trust by four ministries since the general election. Others include a maintenance officer at the Family and Social Solidarity Ministry and messengers at the Equality Ministry .
Recruitment, excluding ministerial secretariats, is normally done through a competitive exercise under the guidance of the Public Service Commission. However, for certain sensitive posts, political appointments are
normally allowed.
Information given in Parliament in reply to a question by Nationalist MP Mario de
Marco, shows that Economy Minister Chris Cardona engaged 17, Family Minister Michael Farrugia made 15 political appointments, including low grade appointees, such as a public procurement assistant, an administration officer and a customer care officer.
Equality Minster Helena Dalli made 12 political appointments that include a driver for the Building Industry Consultative Council and a messenger for the chairman
of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority.
The Home Affairs Ministry, formerly headed by Manuel Mallia and now by Carmelo Abela made 10 political appointments including a dog handler at the Civil Protection Department who was recruited on a position-of trust basis.
DIFFERENT VERSIONS
Following the questions to Dr Muscat, a spokeswoman for the government said the dog handler is a former US security officer who had been put in charge of training sniffer dogs.
She said each dog costs €2,500 and they had a very important security role, but unfortunately under the previous administration, prison dogs became inmates' pets.
However a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Home Affairs later clarified that the man engaged on a position of trust was not the same person originally referred to by the government spokeswoman. The person engaged on a position of trust trains dogs to sniff for drugs in prison and other dogs for rescue duties.
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