More snouts in the trough: now it’s Labour Party deputy leader Toni ‘blokka silg’ Abela and Consuelo Herrera’s friend and dress supplier, Juliana Scerri Ferrante

Published: September 22, 2013 at 11:46pm
The Government Gazette, 9 September

The Government Gazette, 9 September

The Government Gazette, 9 September

The Government Gazette, 9 September

Juliana Scerri Ferrante's 'Ferramoda' fashion show

Juliana Scerri Ferrante’s ‘Ferramoda’ fashion show

Juliana Scerri Ferrante, contracted for legal services by Minister Coleiro Preca, is interviewed about her fashion business

Juliana Scerri Ferrante, contracted for legal services by Minister Coleiro Preca, is interviewed about her fashion business

Magistrate Consuelo Herrera (left) with her close friend and dress supplier, Juliana Scerri Ferrante, who has been contracted to supply 'legal services' to Minister Marie Louise Coleiro

Magistrate Consuelo Herrera (left) with her close friend and dress supplier, Juliana Scerri Ferrante, who has been contracted to supply ‘legal services’ to Minister Marie Louise Coleiro

It’s been wall-to-wall reports about the Labour Party using the government to obtain funds, jobs, contracts and privileges for family, friends and brown-nosers between 11 March and now, with no sign of this stopping any time soon.

Now we have Labour Party deputy leader Toni Abela as the recipient of TWO contracts for legal services already from his mate Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Minister for the Family and Social Solidarity. They were among the list of that ministry’s contracts, published in the Government Gazette on 9 September (screen shots shown here).

The Labour government was sworn in on 14 March. Just two weeks later, on 1 April, the party’s deputy leader – who was photographed at its first cabinet meeting and has sat in on practically every one since – had a contract already with that government ministry’s ‘Human Resources Management Department’ for 12 months at Eur17,500 excluding VAT, and then yet another one, this time listed as with the same ministry’s ‘Directorate, Human Resources’ for Eur20,650 excluding VAT.

So within two weeks of the government being sworn in, the party’s deputy leader had already netted himself some extra pocket money of Eur38,150 for the year.

Now let’s try and envisage a situation in which a Nationalist government had the bare-assed nerve (and corrupt mentality) to give two short-term contracts worth Eur38,150 to the Nationalist Party’s deputy leader, and the media chaos that would follow, with Super One shrieking from here to kingdom come, Malta Today running front-page fire-and-brimstone reports, and repeated questions in parliament.

Incidentally, if you’re wondering why Juliana Scerri Ferrante is such a favourite for legal services contracts too, wonder no more. She’s part of the Labour chavtastic in-crowd and as a second career (main career?) she sells dresses which she imports via her business Ferramoda, including most of the hideous and unflattering outfits worn by her close friend Magistrate Consuelo Herrera, to whom she is doing absolutely no favours.

Let’s not forget that this same minister Coleiro Preca put Magistrate Herrera’s 23-year-old law-student daughter on the Adoption Board, so why not also give a couple of contracts for legal services to her outfitter? It wouldn’t be fair if the Labour Party’s deputy leader were to get the lot.




26 Comments Comment

  1. Dave says:

    Welcome back!

  2. Ajeje says:

    Tergax titlaq ghal gimghatejn. Specjalment bla avviz! Mhux sew!

  3. Sue says:

    And what a hopeless lot! Rumour has it that the PREU is struggling to get the best for Malta. These new appointees, including Ministers, are just a hopeless lot – they appear to be clueless about key issues and how to deal with them, leaving those in Brussels without any indications on what stance to take.

    Prosit to all!

  4. Betty says:

    Hej Toni, its not fair for having to share less time with your teletubbies for the huge stress that MCP’s ministry will be directing your way for a mere 38K p.a. (cucata tafx)

    Juliana too, poor fashionista, she will now have to spend less time at the Law Courts, doing fashio, travelling and taking care of herself with all the time-consuming legal work for a lousy 14K & 17K p.a.

    Not fair, there should be more contracts going their way, considering Toni is Castille volunteering consultancy to Joseph Muscat for free.

  5. Alf says:

    “Ħbieb tal-ħbieb”, “tal-klikka”, “mażunerija”, “jobs for the boys / girls”. Do I remember such accusations being thrown by Joseph Muscat and his Labour Party at the previous Nationalist administration that was in office for over 20 years?

    After a mere six months we seem to be having a corrupt mentality riding roughshod over meritocracy. On the 30 April (seven weeks after being sworn in), M’Louise Coleiro Preca replying to a parliamentary question advised that Toni Abela and Yana Mintoff Bland were appointed consultants to her Ministry.

    According to a recent Government Gazette (9 September), it now transpires that approval for Toni Abela’s appointment was only granted on the 20 June. Do I understand that payment for services to Toni Abela for seven weeks (between 30 April and 20 June) was made without approval?

    • Angus Black says:

      I wonder what’s taking Franco Debono so long before he starts mouthing off in protest for not sharing in Labour’s extravaganza beyond that which he has already received?

  6. Grezz says:

    Isn’t she a specialist/expert in forensics? How would that make her suitable (or the most suited) for ‘care order’ cases?

  7. Il-Haxu says:

    Fejnhom il-gurnalisti l-ohra li qabel kienu iwerzqu kemm jifilhu jekk xi dubbiena kienet tghaddi minn quddiemhom bla permess?

  8. francesca says:

    Do you think these people have realised that they are not only running our country to the ground but their children’s? There’s going to be nothing left for anyone, especially your average man in the street, after all these greedy, uneducated and selfcentred people are finished with it.

  9. Kevin says:

    The Times is running an online poll: “Should the government have a secretariat to strengthen society’s moral fibre as the Archbishop indicated?”

    About 48% of the respondents answered ‘yes.’

    If we assume that the results are representative of what the Maltese believe, then we have a serious problem.

    It could be interpreted to indicate that the Maltese do not have an ‘internal’ moral centre. Rather they rely on others (e.g., peers, the Church, political parties, government) to construct and decide on what is supposedly moral.

    This could be one answer to why so many people find nothing wrong in the irregular appointments of the present government.

    • Angus Black says:

      The thing is; how many of the 48% really understood the question?

      You are right, the majority expects others, as you mentioned, to decide what is moral rather than arriving at the obvious conclusion themselves.

      Were they capable of doing so, they would not have elected these bunch of dangerous and amoral clowns.

    • Toyger says:

      Well, if the Secretariat is made up of Government appointees, there would still be noone to advise on what morality is.

    • kev says:

      A secretariat to strengthen society’s moral fibre is exactly what this Nejxin needs. I suggest traditional material, like iron or bronze. No synthetics, please, especially Polyester or Pollyanna.

  10. david cassar says:

    How can Juliana Scerri Ferrante concentrate on her law practice, her work as a court expert, and also run a fashion business?

    • robert lowell says:

      Well, it seems that our dear Juliana has connections across the board – during the last administration, Chris Said asked her to give egal assistance to the Housing Authority as a consultant on one particular scheme.

  11. ketchup says:

    Thank goodness, you’re back.

  12. Smirnoff says:

    Her partner Edgar Montanaro is in the mix as well.

  13. PWG says:

    Someone should undertake a comparative study to determine which administration, the current or the previous one, made the most ‘glamorous’ political appointments.

    Even if the result had to be equal, which is not the case, Labour is still guilty of taking the switchers (the genuine ones) and the fair-minded Labour voter for a ride, with its meritocracy slogan. The die-hard Labour supporter and those of us who never trusted Labour were not at all surprised.

    • Alf says:

      Everyone (or almost everyone) seems to be forgetting or sidelining the most atrocious and scandalous appointment by Joseph Muscat.

      I am referring to Sai Mizzi Liang’s (wife of Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi) recruitment by Malta Enterprise as its investment promotion envoy for Asia.

      Has Joseph Muscat’s Government forgotten the pre-election battle-cry that “people should get jobs based on what they can do rather than on who they knew”?

      Do I hear about a resignation somewhere?

  14. Snoopy says:

    Though it does not change the core of your argument, it seems that actually the two contracts refer to the same one, one incl VAT the other excl VAT, but the reference is the same 55/2013 for Toni Teletubbies Abela and 56/2013 for Juliana Scerri Ferrante.

  15. Cowsef says:

    Hey, Daphne…. welcome back!

  16. L.Gatt says:

    Judging by this photo good bras do not feature in the “fashionista’s” collection.

  17. zorro says:

    dan veru gvern li jaħdem ġħalina u ġħal-uliedna

  18. Silvio Farrugia says:

    x’jifungaw ! and then my mum was at St Vincent de Paule and they had no beds that help against bed sores. Sadly (very much for me) my mum passed away..the bed sores did not help.

  19. ruth says:

    Jesus Christ! I am lost for words. What a bunch of w*nkers.

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