Karmenu Vella – some people want a piece of him because they can smell a Labour government on the horizon
The Orange Travel Group made him chairman because he's so very brilliant, as evidenced by his performance on Bondi+
So, it turns out that when SMS merged with Martin Degiorgio’s Mondial Group back in January, to form the Orange Travel Group, Karmenu Vella was made chairman.
I suppose this is because of his MSc in tourism management from 367th-ranked Sheffield Hallam University, and not because he is shadow minister of finance and writing the future government’s electoral programme.
Nor do I suppose it was because of his extensive diary of Gaddafi regime contacts – the Orange Travel Group does business in North Africa – which blew up in his face a few weeks later.
This is how the Orange Travel Group shamelessly describes its equally shameless chairman:
Karmenu Vella, an architect by profession is since 1976 a member of the Parliament of the Republic of Malta and currently shadow finance minister for the Opposition and consultant to the General Workers Union. His previous posts included Minister for Tourism, Minister for Industry, Minister for Public Works, and Executive Chairman of Corinthia Hotels International.
Imagine that: shadow minister for finance, chairman of a private travel group AND consultant to the General Workers Union – and to hell with the many and myriad conflicts of interest.
Now look up Karmenu Vella on LinkedIn and you’ll find that he’s a director of the online gambling, betting and casino operation, Betfair. I have no beef with betting and gambling companies – it’s a free country and people over 18 are responsible for their own actions.
But is it appropriate or even transparent for the shadow minister of finance, the man who is writing Labour’s programme for government, to be the director of a gambling operation?
This is Karmenu Vella’s listing on LinkedIn:
Karmenu Vella’s Experience
Director
Betfair
2008 – Present (3 years)
Hon
House of Representatives – Malta
1976 – Present (35 years)
Contact Karmenu for:
career opportunities
consulting offers
new ventures
job inquiries
expertise requests
business deals
reference requests
getting back in touch
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He’s even worse than John Dalli.
Not quite. At least he still appears to be loyal to his party leader.
Joseph Muscat has brought in Edward Scicluna as a white knight on the economy and finance because he probably realised that Karmenu Vella is not up to it.
No. It’s just another scalp, that’s all. Wasn’t the acquisition of Marisa Micallef equally celebrated? That went down like a lead balloon with the rest of the glass house elves.
Tal-misthija – imma lanqas jafu jisthu.
‘Business deals and reference requests.’
Trid inhalluk tahdem?
Cempel issa lil Karmenu, u tara kif il-bibien jinfethu berah.
Anyone who knows both Sam Mifsud and Martin Degiorgio will not be surprised in the least by Il-Guy’s appointment.
And I have problems juggling a run-of-the-mill job and family life sometimes. No wonder he has not found the time to come up with any tangible policies for the Labour Party.
These ARE his tangible policies.