Local government Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Parnis recently sacked his chauffeur, but the government is refusing to divulge the reasons for his dismissal.
The sacking happened a few weeks before the imprisonment of a member of Mr Parnis’ private secretariat which happened a week ago today. The latter case involved 28-year-old messenger Keith Felice who was jailed for three years after admitting to defrauding JB Stores in Iklin to the tune of €5,000.
It transpired that the messenger used to make regular purchases from this outlet and bill the items on the parliamentary secretary, in order to sustain his drug habit.
Though Mr Felice’s case was disclosed to the media through an official statement, government sources told the Times of Malta that a month or so before, the junior minister's driver had also been fired in “mysterious circumstances”.
READ: Parnis fires messenger who name-dropped him to defraud JB Stores
The same sources noted that it was quite surprising how there had been two sackings in such a short time, within the same private secretariat barely a few months in the legislature.
The driver had been dismissed on matters which are based on his conduct
“According to standard procedures anybody engaged in such sensitive posts must first be given the all clear from the Office of the Prime Minister, on the strength of a screening process from the secret service,” they said.
Asked for details on the sacking of his chauffeur, Mr Parnis referred this newspaper to the Justice Ministry which is politically responsible for the local government parliamentary secretariat.
The ministry’s spokesman confirmed that the driver had been dismissed “on matters which are based on his conduct”. However, asked to be more specific, the spokesman declined to comment.
The ministry insisted that this individual who had been employed on a position-of-trust basis had passed through a “normal procedure”. However, when “new information” arose about his conduct, immediate action was taken, the spokesman added.
Members of private secretariats are screened through the same process that has been adopted through successive administrations, the ministry said.