Repubblika has condemned the appointment of former minister Chris Cardona as a consultant for the Education Ministry.

It was reacting to an article by the Times of Malta that Cardona returned to the government as a paid policy consultant within the ministry. It reported that apart from a pro-rata salary worth around €11,000 annually, his contract also states he is to receive a €20,000 expertise allowance, among other things.

Cardona had resigned as PL Deputy Leader after his name was mentioned in court in 2020 during one of the compilations of evidence regarding Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder. Cardona had denied all of the allegations, and the claims made against him have not been proven.

"It would be interesting to know what credentials Cardona has in the field of education and, consequently, what kind of consultancy he is competent to offer," Repubblika said.

"It is also concerning that a person on whom there are shadows and suspicious associations is appointed in a ministry that shapes the minds and the future of our children and young people," Repubblika said.

"With Cardona's return to government, Prime Minister Robert Abela has taken yet another step backwards from the staff changes he had carried out when he took office, and towards the reintegration of figures implicated in some of the worst scandals our country has ever witnessed," Repubblika said.