Former tourism minister Edward Zammit Lewis should thank his lucky stars for not being elected to Parliament at the 2017 general election.

His pay packet is now generously higher than that of a Cabinet minister. This is due to his being given various government jobs, mostly by the Office of the Prime Minister. I will mention just three: (a) to assist in a reform at Identity Malta at €100 an hour; (b) a monthly payment of €4,300 for serving as legal adviser to Energy Minister Joe Mizzi; and (c) according to a report in this newspaper (April 2), a legal fee of €90 an hour for administering the proceeds from the sale of passports.

One would certainly agree that being a friend of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and among his inner circle of friends truly pays.

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