The Office of the President has confirmed that Darleen Zerafa, who is part of the OPR staff and is secretary of the Malta Community Chest Fund Board, was offered full reimbursement to cover for expenses to enrol on a course leading to a Masters Degree in the management of eating disorders.

Ms Zerafa is the sister of Lydia Abela, the Labour Party’s national executive secretary and wife of the President’s son Robert.

After the story broke out on Daphne Caruana Galizia’s blog, this portal contacted the OPR with a series of questions.

Minutes of an MCCF meeting held on 4 October last year show that Ms Zerafa “was surprised and thankful to the Board” for the offer made. No mention that Ms Zerafa had turned down the offer is made in the minutes, suggesting that she had accepted.

But, when contacted this morning, the OPR said that Ms Zerafa had declined the offer.

According to the minutes “H.E. said that if he read the mood of the meeting correctly it was their view that all Darleen’s expenses should be reimbursed by the Board. This was agreed unanimously...”

Ms Zerafa had left the meeting momentarily until the matter was discussed and, when she returned, she had “exclaimed that she was surprised and thankful to the Board.”

In its reply to The Malta Independent, the President’s Office said that Ms Zerafa offers her services as secretary to the MCCF board on a voluntary basis.

It added that Ms Zerafa enrolled on a course of studies, on a distance learning basis, in June 2012 leading to a Masters degree in the management of an eating disorders centre. 

The statement said that “The MCCF board, conscious of the fact that this could offer great benefit to develop the protocols and good working practices in Dar Kenn Ghal Sahhtek, set up by a Foundation jointly between the MCCF and the Ministry for Health, to cater for eating disorders, unanimously agreed to reimburse Ms Zerafa with the related course expenses.”

The President’s Office said that the MCCF board still feels itself justified in making this offer, even though Ms Zerafa declined to accept it.