Edward Scicluna bumped up the salary of the governor of the Central Bank of Malta by €11,000 shortly before he took up the same role, the Nationalist Party said on Friday.

The news was first reported by The Shift, which published a letter Scicluna had sent to his predecessor, Mario Vella, in 2016, informing him that his salary of €89,000 would remain unchanged for five years.

The Shift said that, shortly after Robert Abela became Prime Minister, Scicluna informed Vella that his salary was being increased to €100,000.

In a statement, the PN said the move came shortly before Scicluna replaced Mario Vella at the central bank.

Its spokesman on financial matters, Mario de Marco, said it was beneficial for Scicluna to up the governor’s pay at a time when he was already being touted for the role.

The PN said that, up until now, the Labour Party has not said what Scicluna’s financial package at the central bank will be. The PN said it hoped that this compensation applies to all other central bank employees without distinction.