OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri will be returning to work very, very soon, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today.
Replying to a question by The Malta Independent, Dr Muscat said that Mr Schembri is “alive and kicking”. He is undergoing treatment on a medical situation that is not as serious as described in parts of the social media, he said. Prime Minister Muscat was addressing the inauguration of Crane Currency investment, a currency printing corporation that is set to employ some 500 workers.
Dr Muscat said that Mr Schembri never abandoned his job.
He is undergoing treatment but not "what has been reported irresponsibly by sectors of the media... I am still waiting for an apology from that sector of the media," Dr Muscat said.
Last Sunday, the Nationalist Party (PN) newspaper, il-Mument, had reported that the Prime Minister was seeking to replace his current chief of staff Keith Schembri due to health issues. It had also reported that James Piscopo, CEO of the Transport Authority, was pegged to take over the position.
As a result of this, the Department for Information (DOI) issued a statement strongly denying that Mr Piscopo was set to be the next chief of staff, but the statement stopped short from responding to claims that Mr Schembri is not going to work at the moment.
Mr Schembri is credited as having played a crucial role in for the Labour Party (PL) electoral strategy prior to the 2013 general election. Following the PL’s massive victory, he was appointed as the OPM chief of staff.
When asked by PN journalists about recent media reports stating that the Economy Ministry had charged some €700 on alcohol while on a trip to Dubai, the Prime Minister declared that he will not be responding to organisations peddling fake news, and demanded an apology.
Dr Muscat sang high praise of Mr Schembri’s involvement in securing the €100 million Crane Currency investment, a multimillion company engaged in the printing of currency. Mr Schembri truly became a household name after his involvement with the Panama Papers scandal, where it was discovered that no-portfolio minister Konrad Mizzi and Mr Schembri had each set up a secret company in Panama sheltered by a trust in New Zealand.
Dr Muscat also responded to questions regarding President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca’s speech on Republic Day, where she called for a calmer and more mature political climate. She also declared her position on the deportation of a number of Malian migrants as a result of an EU directive.
Prime Minister Muscat said that the President’s speech as very fair and balanced, and called for it to be judged in its entirety and not on particular extracts.
With regards the migrants who are set to be deported back to their homeland, Dr Muscat said that while he understands the humanitarian arguments being put forward by the President and other members of society, the government cannot condone the entry into Malta through illegal channels.