Foreign Minister Carmelo Abela yesterday distanced himself from the appointment of his relative as Malta’s new Ambassador to Turkey, saying it was made by his predecessor George Vella a few weeks before the last election.
Brigadier Carmel Vassallo, who is married to the sister of Mr Abela’s wife, last October presented his credentials to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as Malta’s first resident Ambassador in Ankara.
Quizzed about whether the appointment was ethical and respected the ministerial code of ethics, Mr Abela said the appointment had been made before he took over the Foreign Ministry.
Admitting that Brigadier Vassallo had been recognised officially as an ambassador under his watch – he presented his credentials in October – Mr Abela said the appointment had not taken place on his own recommendation but that of the former foreign minister, Dr Vella.
Dr Abela added that he had not been consulted.
It is known that ambassadors are normally endorsed by the Cabinet. “Since being appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion in June 2017, minister Abela has not nominated any new ambassadors,” the Foreign Minister’s spokesman said.
The whole process took place when Mr Abela still held the Home Affairs portfolio; he was neither consulted nor involved
“Carmel Vassallo was officially nominated Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey on March 30, 2017, and the Turkish government officially accepted his nomination on May 11, 2017. The whole process took place when minister Abela still held the Home Affairs and National Security portfolio, and he was neither consulted nor involved.”
Mr Abela’s spokesman confirmed that Brigadier Vassallo was related to the minister. However, he maintained that the fact that the new ambassador’s wife was Mr Abela’s sister-in-law had never impeded Mr Vassallo from carrying out his duties and the responsibilities “required by the positions he held in the best interest of the country”.
However, according to senior diplomats who spoke on the condition of anonymity, all ambassadors, particularly political appointees, as in the case of Brigadier Vassallo, are obliged to present their resignation upon the instalment of a new minister.
“Minister Abela had the remit to either confirm or reject the resignations. So technically, all current ambassadors, including his relative, are his appointees,” one diplomat said.
The familial relationship bet-ween Mr Abela and the former AFM commander also made headlines in 2016. Brigadier Vassallo was appointed to hold an internal police inquiry regarding an alleged police blunder involving the release of a person under arrest, Gozitan football player Daniel Bogdanovic, following pressure from a senior government official.
Mr Abela concluded that there had been no political interference, even though the inquiry had confirmed that a senior government official had indeed discussed the arrest with a superior officer in the police corps.
Despite the fact that the police fell within Mr Abela’s ministry at the time, he insisted that there had been no conflict of interest, as Brigadier Vassallo had been asked to carry out the inquiry by the Prime Minister.
ivan.camilleri@timesofmalta.com