The Nationalist Party on Friday called for an investigation by the Commissioner for Standards on Public Life on the appointment of ex-Minister Aaron Farrugia as Ambassador for the IMO.

In a statement signed by spokesman Karol Aquilina, the PN described the appointment of Farrugia, who served as Minister of Transport until last January, as being “fundamentally wrong”, a phrase used by the Standards Commissioner George Hyzler in a report compiled in 2019 regarding the appointment of backbenchers to government positions. The report had said that such appointments should stop.

Farrugia has announced that he intends to keep his position as MP despite his recent assignment as Malta’s permanent representative to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

It is clear that Farrugia’s appointment is a consolation prize for the former minister, the PN said.

In a second statement, Aquilina said that he had received a reply from the Standards Commissioner in which he said he agreed that the appointment of Farrugia was "fundamentally wrong".

He said the commissioner, Judge Emeritus Joseph Azzopardi, noted that the government had not done anything to change the practice of appointing backbenchers to positions in government entities.

As such, the commissioner was therefore not in a position to stop the abuse, Aquilina said.

The government does not give two hoots what the commissioner says and continues to dish out appointments to backbenchers and consolation prizes, Aquilina said.