[ANALYSIS] Jobgate: Wrapped for Christmas or snowballing into 2025?
It took Robert Abela three weeks to dismiss Clayton Bartolo over a blatant and unequivocal case of nepotism, exposed by a Standards Commissioner handpicked by the Prime Minister himself. It was a revelation that stunned the nation. JAMES DEBONO
![[ANALYSIS] Jobgate: Wrapped for Christmas or snowballing into 2025?](https://europe.easybranches.com/uploads/news/2024/12/7079043.jpg)
Christmas is a time of merriment when friends, colleagues, and relatives come together over drinks in casual gatherings. But it’s also a time when public perceptions are solidified, reinforced, and entrenched, as people inevitably discuss and joke about current affairs.
This makes it imperative for political leaders to tie up any loose ends and wrap up the year on a positive note.
Riding high after a generous budget, Abela’s plan was to restore the feel-good factor before the festive season began, just in time for people to toast the New Year with optimism triggered by the promise of more money in their pockets from upcoming tax cuts.
However, it is now Clayton Bartolo and his wife, Amanda Muscat, who are likely to dominate Christmas gatherings and parties, possibly becoming the butt of jokes. Ironically, a report by Abela’s own choice of Standards Commissioner, Joe Azzopardi, presented just days after Abela’s bullish budget speech, stole the thunder from Labour’s budget.
For three weeks, Abela appeared oblivious to the fallout, perhaps assuming the scandal would eventually fade. Instead, it captured the public’s attention, likely because it contained all the elements that cause politicians to falter under the harsh glare of public opinion: a young, ambitious minister who courted the social media spotlight, whose girlfriend (now wife) was awarded a highly paid consultancy job that, according to the commissioner, she was neither qualified for nor had performed any related duties. To make matters worse, the consultancy, which included an “expertise allowance,” was granted by the Gozo Ministry, headed by another rising minister, Clint Camilleri.
This raises the question: Why did it take Abela so long to act, given that someone as politically astute as him should have anticipated the fallout? Has he lost his grip, or was he simply cornered?
Deciphering Abela’s delay
Confronted with a report from the Standards Commissioner – clearly stating that two Cabinet ministers had committed an ethical breach, the PM could have pre-empted the scandal by immediately dismissing the two ministers, if only for the sake of institutional integrity.
He could have thanked both ministers for their service and even left the door open for future rehabilitation if they showed contrition. At that juncture, Abela wouldn’t even have been expected to justify his decision, other than to say that there is no place in his Cabinet for anyone found to have breached ethical guidelines by an impartial authority he fully trusted.
After all, it was the same standard he applied to Justyne Caruana and Rosianne Cutajar, both of whom were ousted following similar reports, with the latter later rehabilitated.
Instead, the public was met with a half-hearted apology from Bartolo, no contrition from Camilleri – who claimed ignorance of Muscat’s hiring – and the PM’s insistence that the case did not merit resignation.
To further muddy the waters, Abela suggested that he had already acted on the case long before the publication of the commissioner’s report by terminating Muscat’s contract in 2021, raising even more questions about why he kept Bartolo and Camilleri in his Cabinet while knowing the mess they had created.
As a result, pressure mounted, Labour’s own goal galvanised the Opposition, and Labour pundits found themselves defending the indefensible.
Abela’s quandary
While decisive action could have saved Abela from being caught in a downward spiral, the case was further complicated by Camilleri’s involvement. The Standards Commissioner also reprimanded Camilleri, a Gozo constituency heavyweight with a sensitive planning portfolio.
Camilleri claimed he wasn’t aware of the details of Muscat’s employment, but the commissioner found this hard to believe, making it impossible to exonerate him.
With both ministers reprimanded, their fates became intertwined. It was impossible for Abela to sack Bartolo without also firing Camilleri if he used the same yardstick – the commissioner’s report.
Removing Camilleri at a time of uncertainty in the planning sector risked upsetting the applecart, especially given the controversy over local plan changes accommodating more development on the Villa Rosa site.
Public opprobrium largely targeted Bartolo, whose wife was the beneficiary, while Camilleri, who gained nothing personally, was spared much of the outrage.
However, the separate accusation involving a €50,000 consultancy fee awarded to Muscat – 18 months after her government job was terminated – by a company linked to an Italian cyclist who had previously been offered an MTA contract, gave Abela the justification to dismiss Bartolo without also removing Camilleri.
The political fallout
Three weeks is a long time for a PM to make up his mind in such circumstances.
Rather than nipping the problem in the bud, Abela allowed the wound to fester, reinforcing the perception that Labour has degenerated into a self-serving club where insiders gorge on public funds.
The fact that Muscat now faces allegations of kickbacks, albeit from a private company that apparently hired her after clinching a contract with her husband’s ministry, only deepens this perception.
Even worse, the decision to sack Bartolo was itself a reaction to another damning media story revolving around the minister and his partner’s consultancy exploits. Rather than appearing as a PM in control, Abela seemed to be reacting to events that had overtaken him.
As public anger mounts, attention may now shift to Camilleri’s role in hiring Muscat as an overpaid consultant. Although he is not accused of personal gain – making him less vulnerable – he remains a target for the Opposition to keep the scandal in the news cycle. In short, his presence in the Cabinet makes it even harder for Abela to wrap up this mess and consign it to history.
And while not everyone may be aware of the case's details, this makes the scandal even trickier for Labour to contain. The risk is that this anger could spiral into uglier forms, as seen in several social media memes targeting Muscat's appearance and gender.
Erosion of another layer of trust
Abela has left too many loose ends for the matter to be fully resolved. While the public may eventually move on, this episode is likely to resurface if another Labour scandal emerges. And although Labour has weathered worse controversies, including cases of ministers opening secret companies in Panama, each successive scandal erodes another layer of trust, leaving Robert Abela increasingly exposed.
Ultimately, Abela’s greatest weakness is his failure to transform his party by making the anti-corruption battle his own and sending a clear message that Labour stands for honesty, integrity, and progressive social reforms.
To win over middle-ground and principled voters in the next election, Abela must broaden his talent pool, attract individuals with substance and integrity, and tackle systemic issues that deter such people from entering politics – such as the paltry salaries of MPs and ministers. However, the perception of politicians indulging in public funds will make these reforms harder to implement.
Abela may still have time to reverse the trend, but he must act swiftly. Achieving this requires rekindling a genuine passion for politics. However, the pressing question remains: Can this be accomplished with a compromised team led by a coach who appears either unwilling or unable to take control?
Bartolo-Camilleri affair: A timeline of events
February 2022 – Arnold Cassola files a report with the Commissioner, highlighting favouritism and abuse of power in the employment of Amanda Muscat by the Tourism Ministry and, subsequently, the Gozo Ministry. The report is based on a news report that appeared in The Shift News.
7 November 2024 – The standards commissioner issues a report, which finds that Bartolo and Camilleri had breached ministerial ethics when Muscat, Bartolo’s then-girlfriend, was employed and paid for a job she was not qualified to do.
Clayton Bartolo offers a half-hearted apology, stating: “While I do not agree with all that the Standards Commissioner wrote, I accept the report. If there are instances where I may have slipped, with all humility, I apologise.” Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri offers no apology, writing on his Facebook page that he took note of the Standards Commissioner’s report and will await the outcome of the discussion in the parliamentary committee.
11 November – Robert Abela stands by his decision not to sack Bartolo and Camilleri, while saying that he was the one who decided to terminate Amanda Muscat’s job in 2021. Abela adds that it would now be up to parliament’s standards committee to decide how best to sanction the ministers.
16 November – In an interview with Times of Malta, Robert Abela insists that the circumstances “do not warrant Clayton Bartolo or Clint Camilleri stepping down from their ministerial duties.” He states firmly: “Muscat worked her full hours, and the Standards Commissioner confirmed this was not a phantom job. The discrepancy lay in the transition from her role as a private secretary to that of a consultant.”
18 November – The Nationalist Party holds a protest outside parliament, calling for the resignation of Bartolo and Camilleri. During the protest, PN leader Bernard Grech accuses the Prime Minister of being “weak with his ministers, weak in government, weak within his party.”
21 November – Parliament’s Standards Committee, including Labour MPs Jonathan Attard and Andy Ellul, unanimously endorse the report, censuring Ministers Clayton Bartolo and Clint Camilleri for an ethical breach.
26 November – Clayton Bartolo resigns as Tourism Minister and as a Labour MP. Prime Minister Robert Abela says the decision was taken in light of a fresh probe into new allegations involving payments received by his wife. Taking to Facebook, the ex-minister states that he offered the Prime Minister his resignation, adding that when he had been appointed to Cabinet, he promised to “shoulder political responsibility if someone uses me to attack the government's or the PL's work.”
26 November – Times of Malta reports that the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU), Malta's anti-money laundering agency, had flagged transactions involving payments to Amanda Muscat to the police. According to the report, Amanda Muscat received €50,000 from a private firm suspected to be a kickback related to a Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) contract. The alleged kickback was paid by a company linked to Italian cyclist Valerio Agnoli, who was hired by the MTA to promote cycling tourism in Malta.
27 November – Clint Camilleri and Clayton Bartolo are both admonished by parliament’s Standards Committee. Bartolo is ordered to make a formal apology in parliament and refund the excess money his wife earned as a consultant. Opposition motions demanding Camilleri’s resignation as minister, Bartolo’s suspension as an MP for 30 days, and for Muscat to refund the full amount she earned as a consultant at Camilleri’s Gozo Ministry are voted down by the Speaker, who casts the deciding vote.
29 November – Prime Minister Robert Abela stands by Camilleri when asked by MaltaToday whether he considers the case a closed chapter. Abela insists there is no reason for Camilleri to resign given the sanctions imposed by the Standards Committee and the fact that Muscat has refunded the extra money she had been paid.
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