Education Minister Justyne Caruana must go; there are no two ways about it.

In the latest bombshell scandal, the minister has not only been found in breach of ethics by the Standards Commissioner but is possibly also the subject of a criminal investigation by the police over possible misuse of public funds, a crime that can carry a sentence of up to six years in prison.

Of all the cases investigated by Standards Commissioner George Hyzler, this is among the most serious in nature of allegation.

The case revolves around a €15,000 contract given to former footballer Daniel Bogdanovic, described by the minister herself as a close friend.

The complainants alleged that Caruana and Bogdanovic were in a romantic relationship, which they both denied, but both admitted that they have a long-standing friendship, which is still a strong reason why the footballer should not have been employed in her secretariat, let alone be given a lucrative contract, especially one he was not qualified to fulfil.

Caruana was already made to resign last year when the closeness between her then husband Silvio Valletta, who was deputy police commissioner, and Yorgen Fenech, the alleged mastermind behind the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, emerged.

That was rather unfortunate for Caruana, who was seemingly unaware of the close relationship between the two. But her position became untenable nonetheless and she was made to step down.

Having been through one resignation, she should have been more careful after she was re-appointed to Cabinet.

The fact that her ministry gave a €15,000 contract to her close friend is not on. The fact that Bogdanovic was unable to answer simple questions on a report he supposedly authored makes it even worse. As does the fact that there seem to have been attempts to cover up what happened, including by erasing tracing data from the document handed to the Standards Czar.

The most incredulous thing of all is the fact that the minister did not resign of her own accord in March, when MaltaToday broke the story. Just days earlier, the minister’s spokesperson had denied that Bogdanovic had been given a ministry job. Then the story came out – a minister’s close friend given a contract to do a job he was incapable of doing.

That alone should have led the minister to step down or forced the Prime Minister to dismiss her.

But Malta is not a country of honour and resignations. No, most of our politicians try to cling on to power, shrugging off any notion of responsibility or accountability and make the country go through the wringer every time, with costly investigations that have to take place and the ensuing political fallout.

Now Hyzler has investigated and he has found a prima facie breach of ethics and a possible crime in the form of abuse of power. He has recommended further investigation by the authorities. It is now up to the Attorney General and the Police to prove that in court, if the case ever gets that far.

The Police have been unclear about this, saying only that all criminal allegations are investigated, but they did not specifically say that this case is being followed up.

Prime Minister Robert Abela has once again said that he will wait until the end of the discussion by the ethics committee – a parliamentary group that lacks teeth and balance and in which government is often aided by the Speaker. The most the committee will do, going by what we have seen lately, is a letter of “reprimand”.

But in such a clear-cut case, the Prime Minister should not have to wait until then. The Nationalist Party set the bar high last week when it asked one of its own mayors to resign on a case that is nowhere as serious as Caruana’s.

If the Prime Minister, this government and the Labour Party in general truly believe in accountability, then Caruana should be made to step down without further delay.

What happened in the Bogdanovic case has further increased people’s mistrust in politicians and strengthened the perception of nepotism and favouritism.

It has also driven the wedge between minister and unions deeper. The minister’s position is untenable.

There’s only one course of action to take: a resignation or a dismissal.