Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi has told the chairman of Enemalta to terminate the engagement of a former police inspector at the corporation.
The inspector was given the job after he was boarded out from the police force on health reasons within four days of having made the request.
The issue was raised in parliament this evening by Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi, who said that the police inspector had been given a new job in Enemalta's audit division with a salary of close to €60,000 soon after being boarded out for health reasons by the police force.
He asked Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela for his view on how matters had developed, saying that it did not appear that his medical condition was so serious.
The minister said he had not known the inspector involved.
He said that according to a sworn statement by the medical boards coordinator, the normal boarding out procedures were followed. The coordinator also had not known the person concerned, and there was no favoritism towards him.
Mr Abela said it was coincidental that the former inspector was boarded out after a few days. That happened because he had submitted his request a few days before a meeting of the medical board which was already scheduled. The board had fewer than the 15 cases it normally considered in one sitting, and therefore the inspector's request could be considered immediately.
MINISTER TELLS ENEMALTA TO TERMINATE ENGAGEMENT
In a reaction, Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi said that as the majority shareholder in Enemalta the government had told the Enemalta chairman that the engagement of the former police inspector was unacceptable and that his contract should be terminated with immediate effect.
The Nationalist Party said that after giving his wife €13,000 a month, Dr Mizzi did not hesitate to give €5,000 a month to a former police inspector who was boarded out from the Police Force due to health reasons.
"Like all other shady deals, this was kept under wrap by this government, until details of this engagement were revealed in Parliament tonight. Dr Mizzi’s action tonight is merely a reaction to the public outcry against the Muscat government which failed miserably in its pledge for meritocracy," the PN said.