A parliamentary debate which started off on the termination of a former police inspector’s job at Enemalta Corporation quickly changed to an issue which has been long coming, that of Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi’s wife Sai who is being paid €13,000 a month as special envoy to China for Malta.

PN MP Claudette Buttigieg initially asked Dr Mizzi the reason behind the termination of a police inspector’s job who was boarded out for medical reasons but was given a job at Enemalta in a matter of a few days. His job was terminated yesterday and this was made public by Dr Mizzi in parliament yesterday after the Opposition quizzed the minister on the fact that the ex inspector was given a job within days.

Dr Mizzi said that he was informed that a person who was boarded out on medical reasons was engaged with Enemalta plc and “I felt that this is not what we stand for and asked the chairman of the company to terminate his contract”.

Ms Buttigieg asked what he meant with his comments ‘it’s not what we stand for’ but Dr Mizzi said he had nothing to add. But things did not stop there.

She also asked if he should use the same thinking with his wife Sai, who is being paid €13,000 a month.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat intervened and said that Ms Buttigieg is incorrect in her wording and said that the Opposition will soon know what Mrs Mizzi has been doing all along.

Dr Muscat said: “Ms Buttigieg was paid the same amount when she failed and went to Super One to get a job.”

He continued: “I have been holding back from resorting to this level of talk.”

PN leader Simon Busuttil said that the government needed to learn one basic thing, that when the Opposition criticises an issue like the one involving Mrs Mizzi who is being paid 13,000 a month from people’s taxes, that this is not a personal attack but an attack on the government’s way of doing politics.

“But it seems that this government cannot understand this basic concept,” Dr Busuttil lamented.

On the Enemalta case, Dr Muscat said the government won’t have information on who is boarded out. “What is certain is that we don’t feel that days after such persons are boarded out, they are engaged by a different entity.”

Dr Busuttil asked if there was a call for applications to engage the former inspector at Enemalta. Dr Mizzi said that he was engaged as a consultant the audit department which deals with electricity theft.

“The fundamental issue at stake is that he was boarded out from the Police Force but the next day was engaged at Enemalta,” Dr Mizzi explained.

Dr Busuttil once again brought up the subject of Mrs Mizzi, asking Dr Muscat whether he felt it is acceptable that the wife of a minister was being paid 13,000 euros for a job given to her by the government where no call for applications was made beforehand.

Dr Muscat said he believes that persons are chosen on their expertise in the interest of the country.

“We don’t judge people on who she is or who she is married to but on results achieved.

“With the same argument, I can produce a list of people who were relatives of PN ministers who were chosen to take up certain roles simply because they were relatives of theirs and not due to their experience,” Dr Muscat said.

Dr Busuttil made it amply clear that in future, a PN government, if elected, would issue a call for applications before a wife of some minister is given a role.

Dr Muscat said that the person who led the Foundation for Medical Services was a relative of two PN politicians.

Dr Busuttil said that Dr Muscat should answer to the questions made and not point fingers.

Turning to the Google Group network of spies, as has been described by the government, referring to three civil servants who allegedly passed on sensitive information to former finance minister Tonio Fenech by means of a Google Group account, Dr Muscat said: “You can work with us, but not undermine us.”

The three civil servants are strongly denying any wrongdoing.