I refer to the report titled “Justice Minister gave Tonna package equivalent to PM’s” (December 7).

The content of the article is not new as the details published were already known to the public through a parliamentary question tabled by Jason Azzopardi and answered by Minister Owen Bonnici more than two and a half years back, on May 2, 2016.

In that parliamentary question, all details were given about Brian Tonna’s consultancy, financial package and his role within the ministry. Apart from details given in the mentioned parliamentary question, the minister again gave all the details and answered all questions put to him by the various MPs last Thursday, during question time in Parliament.

A technical team working with Tonna advised the ministry on issues related to EU-funded cultural projects (ERDF). The Muża is one of them, the Manoel Theatre project is another.

The article also states that “Dr Bonnici said he saw no issue with the fact that Mr Tonna was employed by his ministry at a time when he was facing a judicial inquiry over alleged kickbacks and money-laundering”. It is relevant to point out that when Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras initiated the mentioned inquiry, Parliament had already been dissolved, as the 2017 elections had been called.

Following those elections, Minister Bonnici appointed new consultants.