Repubblika has denounced the Prime Minister's response to the found breach of ethics committed by ministers Clayton Bartolo and Clint Camilleri on Amanda Muscat's €68,000 consultancy paycheck, in spite of her lack of qualifications and continued work as the former's personal secretary.

In its statement, the NGO also condemned PM Abela's vilifications against it. In response to this, Repubblika added that it will not be going silent, "since Robert Abela call us 'a branch of the PN' for his supporters to hate us."

In regard to the scandal, Repubblika have said that now that it has been concluded that Bartolo stole public funds through Camilleri's help, "the least that could have happened was for them to resign" and that "when they refused to resign, Prime Minister Robert Abela had to sack them."

"Instead he kept them there and granted them impunity," Repubblika said, "Even when Clayton Bartolo admitted that he did wrong because there was no longer any doubt, everyone retained their position and everyone kept the money they stole as if nothing had ever happened."

The non-governmental organisation publicized that it is not intimidated by the Prime Minister's comments and that it shall hold him responsible for the consequences of his intimidation through the mobilising against its individuals and representatives.

While declaring Bartolo's public apology as a "sufficient" action to pay for this latest scandal, Robert Abela denied that Amanda Muscat had worked a "phantom job" as Repubblika had initially declared. These comments were made a day after Repubblika published a statement calling for Bartolo, Camilleri, and Muscat to be investigated and charged by police.

The Prime Minister then went on to describe the NGO as a "branch" of the Nationalist Party that is being used "strategically, to try and break government ministers." He followed that by saying that "intimidatory tactics" are unacceptable and should have never been contemplated on in the Standards Commissioner's report on this matter.

"It is really worrying that Prime Minister Robert Abela repeats the vilifications that brought down his predecessor," the NGO said.

In a statement on Monday, Repubblika stated that "Whoever does not fight corruption, is also corrupt" and that while it as a group of civilians has the right to call upon police to take action against corruption, "the Prime Minister has the duty to fire the ministers who are caught stealing." The group added that Abela has failed to exercise this responsibility.

It also added that it abhors corruption in all forms, including the theft of public funds for private gain.

"We denounce this wherever it happens, regardless of whether the caught thief is happy with us or not," Repubblika wrote.

The group remarked that civil society holds an important role within democratic societies to denounce corruption, watch over people in power, and do what is necessary within the limitations of the law for people caught in the act to pay for their actions.