Beppe Fenech Adami has insisted that there is “absolutely no comparison”  between the recruitment of employees by Wasteserv during the 2017 general election and the similar revelations exposed in the published leaked emails.

When approached by The Malta Independent, he also insisted that the emails concerning himself were merely a “recommendation for a qualified person for the post.”

“I know now that this individual was never even called for an interview, let alone actually getting the position,” Fenech Adami continued. 

Last Sunday, MaltaToday published emails revealing how former Ministers, MPs, civil servants, party candidates, and representatives of Wasteserv, between 2009 and 2013 under a PN government, would offer employment to specific voters; often using their personal emails rather than their government servers.

Key figures within the emails are Ray Bezzina, a former political aide to former resources minister George Pullicino, as well as the same ministry’s permanent secretary Chris Ciantar.

Emails from June 2010 revealed Fenech Adami, who had just been elected into Parliament during that legislature, used his personal email to provide Bezzina with a list of candidates for certain placements, specifically telling CEO Vincent Magri to phone a particular applicant.

The revelations come at a time when the Public Accounts Committee, to which Fenech Adami is Chairman, is investigating the recruitment of employees with Wasteserv in July, particularly during the election campaign, after a request was made by the Nationalist Party.

An email on 18 February from Bezzina, that copied in former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, his wife Catherine, and George Pullicino; personally recommended two individuals Tony Buttigieg and David Buttigieg, who had “applied to work at Wasteserv and they don’t have a job.”

In the weeks preceding this email, Bezzina had also made a request with Wasteserv for certain individuals to find employment, and after being informed that workers will be working day-in-day-out, he warned that the election was on 9 March.

Asked by the newsroom whether the cache’ of emails proved maladministration during the previous PN government, he said that “there is a big difference to what happened in the Gonzi government. What happened during the last general election was obscene. As not only in Wasteserv but many other government entities, hundreds of people from particular districts of particular ministers were employed for no other reason than to get their vote, when there was no need for further employment, especially considering that few weeks before the election the Sant Antnin plant burnt down and over a hundred people were made redundant.”

“Wasteserv was in its initial stages during the Gonzi government, so a large number of people had to be employed…there is absolutely no comparison, especially when you see the hundreds of people that were employed ”

He was pressed further as to whether his appearance within the leak compromised his own moral standing within the committee, however, Fenech Adami insisted that this was not the case, given that the position was merely a recommendation and had never actually been realised.

Fenech Adami was also asked to comment on the remarks Prime Minister Joseph Muscat made last Sunday, where he suggested that Fenech Adami step down from his role on the PAC.

“Joseph Muscat is in no position to give me advice on a resignation, there are so many people he should advise to resign. Konrad Mizzi should resign, he should have called for Keith Schembri’s resignation. He will probably go before Mizzi and Schembri.”

Chris Said - ‘I was not obliging anyone’

In an email, Chris Said, who at the time was the Parliamentary Secretary for Consumers, Fair Competition, Local Councils and Public Dialogue,  had requested Ray Bezzina to look into the potential employment for three individuals Tonio Grech, Jason Hill, Joseph Gauci; with particular reference placed upon Grech

He would send two separate reminders regarding his request, with one specifically saying that “I will do everything I can to solve the problems between KL [Local Council] and Wasteserv.”

Said, who had used his parliamentary email when making the request, was asked whether he believed that this behaviour should warrant his resignation from Parliament, along whether he feels this is at all hypocritical of his stinging criticism of former Gozo Minister Anton Refalo, who has long faced accusations of providing employment for votes within Gozo. 

“You understand that this is related to work done by Parliamentarians in their constituency,” he said, “In this case, I passed on requests made by my constituents who asked me to speak to the related Minister. Obviously, I was not obliging anyone and it did not depend on me whether the request was granted or not.”

Claudio Grech - 'I was trying to solve a huge injustice'

Claudio Grech, who currently also sits on the committee, featured in the emails. Grech, who at the time served as a staff member within the ministry of Austin Gatt, also made a request for a certain Simon Curmi, asking for his hours to be extended beyond the 20-25 hrs he was working and be provided with a proper full-time job.

After sending several reminders, Glenn Bugeja told Grech that there was no possibility to increase full-time promoters; however, CEO Saviour Abela would later say that they were able to guarantee the individuals, despite there being 16 individuals who were in the same situation as Curmi. 

In a social media post, Grech said that "it is clear that in the published emails my request did not have anything to do with employment at Wasteserv, rather it was about the huge injustice with an employee a Wasteserv who had been employed for a number of years. This person came to me and I put forward this injustice so that it can be addressed."

"In a few words, this employee was at Wasteserv work around 16 hours a week for all of those years! Institutionalised precariousness (prekarjat) within a public entity at a time when there was supposed to be a fight against it. Despite my request, this employee remained in the same position and continues to suffer from the same injustice under the current government."