Parliamentary secretary Andy Ellul’s former driver and canvasser has called for a magisterial inquiry to investigate the social benefits fraud racket, offering to blow the lid on organised criminal activity he claims to have participated in, if granted whistleblower status.

This emerges from a judicial protest filed by Roger Agius against the Prime Minister, the Whistleblower Officer at the Office of the Prime Minister, the State Advocate, the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Police on Thursday.

Agius himself is expected to soon be charged with several offences relating to his alleged role in the scheme, which include money laundering and disability benefits fraud.

He is a former canvasser to medical doctor and ex-Labour MP Silvio Grixti, who is also awaiting charges after allegedly issuing medical certificates that entitled the holders to disability benefits for severe disabilities which they did not have. Following Grixti’s arrest and resignation over the scandal in late 2021, Agius was engaged to assist Andy Ellul in the run up to the March 2022 election.

Ellul had replaced Grixti’s vacant seat in parliament, having been co-opted by Prime Minister Robert Abela, later contesting the 2022 election in the Żejtun district. After that Agius was employed as a position-of-trust in Ellul’s secretariat.

Ellul has denied being aware of any abuse allegations involving his former canvasser at when he had hired him as his driver and said that Agius had tendered his resignation in early 2023.

The judicial protest states that the OPM’s Whistleblower Office had twice ignored Agius’ offers of information to expose the scheme, the way it operates, as well as the people behind it and information relating to other offences before a magistrate, under oath.

It goes on to state that Agius had first offered information that would “expose corrupt and criminal acts within the public administration” in November, writing again a month later, having been ignored on both occasions.

In his November letter, Agius had said that he could demonstrate how the system would deal with the fraudulent applications, as well as the values of the bribes involved - up to several hundred euros per applicant. He had also offered to provide information about how a senior government official and member of the state executive had instructed him not to report to work and instead perform constituency work for the Labour Party.

Agius’ lawyers had written to the Whistleblower Officer in the Office of the Prime Minister to inform them that he was prepared to testify to all of this under oath before an inquiring magistrate. He had also informed the police Financial Crimes Investigation Department (FCID) that he would confirm his version under oath, if required.

He claims to have been questioned by the FCID last month, and to having provided investigators with information about a similar benefits fraud racket, involving the abuse of sick leave benefits inside the police force, during that meeting. No one from the police had followed up his offer to provide further information or even spoken to him since, Agius said.

Instead, Agius said, someone whom he believes is a very senior police officer, had told a cabinet minister about his interrogation.

Agius added that in the final months of 2023, he had resisted several attempts to convince him to drop his lawyers in favour of another lawyer who was engaged by the government, but he had replied that he was “not for sale.”

Lawyers Jason Azzopardi and Kris Busietta signed the protest.