If Silvio Scerri has lent his personal car to Manuel Mallia, what car is Scerri using?
I’ll tell you which car Manuel Mallia’s head of secretariat is using: the one he was using already, his personal car ZER 088, which now wears his boss’s GM plates.
Mallia lives in Valletta, on Hastings Garden, just five minutes on foot from his office. The minister WALKS to work. That car does not overnight in Valletta, nor does it move up the street to be parked outside Mallia’s house.
That means somebody is driving it out of Valletta every day and driving it back in again the next. That somebody is the ministerial chauffeur, who does what he has been doing from day one: driving Silvio Scerri back home in his own car and driving him back in to the office the next day.
It now occurs to me that this is why Silvio Scerri had a chauffeur and was photographed being driven back home by this chauffeur in his car with ZER 088 plates. I had questioned why a head of secretariat should have a chauffeur, said that this was unheared of, unprecedented.
Now it has clicked, in the light of this bit of crazy information, that the chauffeur wasn’t Scerri’s but the minister’s. These two – Scerri and Mallia – have been doing this all along. They have been using ZER 088 as the official ministerial car from day one, which is why Scerri had the use of the chauffeur.
We never noticed because Manuel Mallia walks to the office and back and because most of his engagements which call for press attendance take place at his own office. But we SHOULD have noticed that the only car ever parked outside the building was Scerri’s personal ZER 088.
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Next question, if Mallia doesn’t need a driver, why does he have one?
If he wishes to save money, which is why he borrows do-you-know-who-I-am’s car, he can dispense with both car and driver.
Il-Karozzi u xufiera taghna, taghna llkoll. One big pot(ty mess).
Ma jaqbizlek xejn… Well done
It doesn’t look like they’re saving Malta anything with a chauffeur assigned to the head of secretariat.
These two can’t stop the weekly gaffes.
The Times asleep, Simon Busutill asleep …
The goverment announces training in tree pruning for its employees. As if it is rocket science to prune trees.
Herr Flick is earning his seleri.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130904/local/minister-announces-tree-pruning-course.484804
is it legal to change registered plates like this when you want?
Had the Minister thought better, he could have given an explanation that would be hard to beat:
“I have employed my Chief of Staff as my chauffeur, and he brought along his car without charge.”
This reminds me of the original explanation he gave for the Euro 500,000 cash. He had said that he had sold some property. Then, when this website suggested that checks be made in public records for property sold by Mallia, and it transpired that he had not sold any for that value, he gave a different explanation.
Manwel Mallia should be appointed as Minister of Truth in the Big Brother government of Orwell’s 1984.
Miskin he’s doing this to save cash mur emmnu – and accommodate Silvio Scerri in the meantime.
One wonders, if Zero 88 is lending his car to his Minister for free, why is Joseph Muscat leasing his personal car to himself as PrimeMinister for Euro 7,000 p.a. rather than borrowing the personal car of Keith Kasco Schembri without charge?
This should save the State coffers Euro 35,000 over 5 years, and Minister Edward Scicluna would get his cost-cutting and dead wood.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130904/local/cut-the-dead-wood-finance-minister-tells-public-sector.484805
So, to make it simple: it is NOT that the minister got a car for free, BUT that Scerri has got a chauffeur for free.
I can live with some male vanity. But why did Manwel Mallia think he looks better with implants under his jaw?
He has a jeep. The one which we saw in Siggiewi back at festa time accompanying the minister’s official car.
[Daphne – That wasn’t a Jeep. It was an old Landrover. Jeep is a car brand, not a car type. And in any case, he doesn’t use that.]
That Land Rover is no old Land Rover. It’s actually quite new and very expensive as well. It depends what sort of engine it’s got but I don’t think you’ll find a smokey diesel engine under the hood. It’s also got a snorkel which suggests our dear Silvio goes off-roading as well. There’s no point having a snorkel otherwise, much as there’s no point having a spoiler when speed limits are 70km/h. This is Malta I know, but Land Rover owners are a different breed. They don’t buy them as utilitarian vehicles anymore. They’re a status symbol almost, and you’ll find that most of what everone sees as “ta’ l-ghalqa” are in fact worth in excess of €30k, conservative here.
The perfect meaning of MALTA TAGHNA BISS
With GM14 plates, Scerri won’t have to pay to park in Valletta under the CVA scheme.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Heritage-watchdog-objecting-to-multi-storey-Valletta-car-park-20130904
Perhaps Saviour needs reminding what he implied when Jason Azzopardi proposed the real deal for Valletta. It’s there, perfect solution, but no, let’s kill it and destroy Piano’s work.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Minister-nothing-inappropriate-about-choice-of-Elbros-for-renovation-work-20121016
Would be interesting to know who the applicant for this new ‘Connections Project’ is. Reversible it says, and how does that work? Make it a bloody freestanding skeleton structure smack in the middle of the ditch?
Meantime, Kenneth and Astrid look the other way, their hypocrisy unlimited, the application published in July.
Unless they wish to rubbish the superintendence.
Ma niflahx iktar. Ghandi aptit nitghajjar.
Brilliant!
Case solved by the most astute journalist in Malta.
Now we wait for Mallia and Scerri to explain and for Joseph to approve, anyway!
Daphne, you are superlative.
I fully agree with your argumentation and conclusions although, I must admit, I would have never been able to reach them myself. The way you reason things out is, to say the least, impeccable. Prosit.
If I were Muscat I would dump this trash.
Enough is enough.
They are doing so much harm to the Malta Taghna Lkoll movement. Bunch of thieves out to get what they can.
Qed tara kemm huma bil-ghaqal? B’hekk sar ghandu nofs miljun kaxx, l-avukat Mallia. Iffranka ftit ‘l hemm, iffranka ftit ‘l hawn, xirja ghand tal-Lidl, karrozza mislufa minghand l-impjegat…
http://gov.mt/en/Government/Government%20Gazette/Government%20Notices/Pages/2013/09/Government-Notices-0309.aspx
At last Louis Grech will be the acting PM.
Some more appointments for the Labourites:
Mario Calleja I think mayor of Marsacala on the Police Academy Board and Alfred Zammit for the National Festivites Board.
I hope that the freshly appointed Nancy Scerri on the Prison Addiction Rehabilitaton Management Board is no relation to the ‘Do you know who I am?’
Another ‘keep it in the family’ appointment’. Mario Calleja is related to Peter Paul Zammit.
Taht gvern Laburista m’hemmx korruzjoni, m’hemmx arroganza u ghalhekk il-maggoranza ta’ cwiec Maltin ivvutaw Labour.
Hudu go fikhom issa.
Shades of Dalli and daughter working for free at Mater Dei Hospital.
ZER 088 wearing its GM14 plates was parked in St Francis Square in Victoria, Gozo yesterday evening. Mallia was seen entering the Ministry for Gozo at 8pm.
don’t what the all the fuss is about
at the end of the day the gov is saving money due to 1 less car being rented.
so the bottom line is better…. that’s the most important aspect
[Daphne – Kemm hawn injoranti Malta, ghandek tghid. Il-veru kaz.]
Interesting to note that the company Fuelserve Limited had its licence revoked following the scandal.
This company was owned beneficially by Jonathon Sammut and Alan Bruno Olivier and the majority held by Frank Sammut, the now discredited ex CEO,
Wonder of wonders, a new agent has been appointed for Macoil Oil. Their licence was recently granted to Macoil Malta Limited. Is it not curious that the judicial representative, legal representative and Director is the same Alan Bruno Olivier.
I wonder is he perchance related to Frank?
Madonna, how gullible can Times of Malta be.
“It is always the obvious, dear Watson.”
And these two would have us believe this is all done for free, to relieve the ministry of unnecessary expenses.
My, how altruistic.
Anyone falling for this crap deserves a Moron t-shirt.