The prime minister has also left the door open to Silvio Scerri

Published: December 9, 2014 at 6:51pm

silvio scerri 1

When a minister of state goes or is made to go, so does his entire private secretariat. That means head of secretariat Silvio Scerri and communications officer Ramona Attard, as well as all the other political appointees who are not part of the civil service. Those who are part of the civil service and who are seconded to the secretariat will go back to their previous posts.

No doubt a position will be found for Ramona Attard. After all, she was a star Super One reporter of the general election campaign (“Mela tibza minnu l-Franco Debono Mela tibza minnu l-Franco Debono Mela tibza minnu l-Franco Debono…”).

It follows that a position will also be found for Silvio Scerri. The public service broadcaster has now been slotted into the very portfolio it should have been in the first place – the Ministry of Culture (Owen Bonnici – watch this space for a job for Janice at PBS). What are the odds that Silvio Scerri will now be taken on there as a ‘consultant’?

We used to joke that Manuel Mallia had the perfect coup d’etat ministry with a portfolio which included, inexplicably, both the army and the police, and with the ‘state broadcaster’ on top of that.

I don’t think he had plans for an actual coup d’etat (though you never know with a crackpot who gives a gun to another crackpot and puts him in charge of his tiny daughter). I think Don Manuel insisted on having PBS within his control because his henchman Scerri wanted to be the boss of that, and thanks to the collusion of chairman Anton Attard, that is exactly what he was allowed to do.




19 Comments Comment

  1. matt says:

    What an incompetent government.

    How can it is possible that Labour supporters put up with this a administration. The electorate clearly wanted a change for the better, instead we got a corrupt government.

    Muscat is doing irreparable harm to his party.

  2. Mila says:

    More than keeping a door open for Scerri the Prime Minister has gone the extra mile and refuses to acknowledge that Scerri lied to the inquiry.

    Do people give their evidence under oath in an inquiry?

    “Asked about Silvio Scerri, …… Dr Muscat pointed out, the inquiry found no fault with Mr Scerri.” Times of Malta

    The inquiry in fact found Scerri not quilty of any coverup but pointed out that his evidence was later proven to be false.

    The prime minister should be requested to explain or recant his words.

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141209/local/muscat-asking-mallia-to-resign-was-a-courteous-way-of-telling-him-to-leave.547567

  3. Tony borg says:

    Tajjeb wiehed jarbel sew x’qalet l-inkjesta fuq Scerri fl-ewwel parti.

  4. Peritocracy says:

    The very same Silvio Scerri who repeatedly lied to the inquiry will now be lying to the public.

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B4aQzANCUAAEgN3.png:large

  5. ghalgolhajt.com says:

    The Labour Party owes many thousands to Nexos Lighting. Why do you think Sivio was let off the hook?

  6. pablo says:

    This was just a minor hiccup for Muscat and Co. By tomorrow, they’ll all be back at the trough.

  7. Vagabond King says:

    How about CEO, replacing his buddy Anton Attard, with the latter given a consultancy job?

  8. curious says:

    SEPARATION of the Police and the Executive.

    Watch the recordings being aired on NET right now.

    Who wins, the Acting Commissioner or Minister Mallia? ‘Heq, ha ncempillek lura la qallek il-ministru.’

    Also, Ray Zammit asked Sheehan for his mobile number so that he phones him. Mela ma riedx ikun irrekordjat. Ara veru wzawhom lil dawk l-ex imhallfin.

  9. James Caruana says:

    Silvio and his sidekick from Ugo Mifsud Bonnici’s days, the Director General (Development and Policy Implementation),are still listed in their old positions in the updated website:

    https://www.gov.mt/en/Government/Government%20of%20Malta/Ministries%20and%20Entities/Pages/MHAS-Contact-Details.aspx

  10. curious says:

    What about Mallia’s parliamentary seat. He still keeps that. Xewka f’sor***m.

    I will say one thing: U l-kbir ghadu gej ghal Muscat.

  11. tinnat says:

    A good part of me thinks that Joseph Muscat will be relieved to have got rid of Mallia from his Cabinet.

    Mallia is serious heavyweight in all senses, old enough to be Joseph Muscat’s father and not the sort of person to bow his head and listen to someone who Mallia no doubt secretly believes is a spoilt brat and an idiot.

    This is also the reason why Mallia will get an iced bun. “Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer” has never rung truer.

    • Macchiavelli's apt pupil says:

      I think that Joseph Muscat was glad of having been presented with a valid excuse to rid himself of unpopular and controversial Mallia.

  12. ciccio says:

    The Mallia-gate inquiry report states that Silvio Scerri, Mallia’s Chief of ‘Stuff’, had to check whether Mallia’s official car-plates are GM14.

    Didn’t the inquiry board read this?

    http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2013/09/zer-088-aka-gm14/

  13. philip says:

    It’s strange how the great majority of the political scandals, since the new MLP reign, were delivered by the newbies rather than by the Jurassic section of the cabinet.

    I expected the opposite.

  14. Wilson says:

    ‘PBS within his control because his henchman Scerri wanted to be the boss of that, and thanks to the collusion of chairman Anton Attard, that is exactly what he was allowed to do.’

    Exactly his dream from at least 1996.

  15. silvio Farrugia says:

    I was disgusted to know that Ray Zammit was not REALLY fired. What a banana republic.

    Also to hear that the PM will give another post to Mallia – what a banana republic.

    All this is ‘good’ for its 40-year anniversary.

  16. Mila says:

    ”One thing seems to be very clear in peoples’ minds however and that is the fact that the only chance this government stands of hanging on to enough credibility to enable it to keep on governing rests on its resolve to come clean with the facts and remove all the players indicted in this saga from public office immediately.” Marlene Farrugia

    We will see if some on the government benches will have the courage and conviction to state the PM has failed to do what would be credible and rightly expected.

    http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-12-08/blogs-opinions/The-banality-of-evil-6736127012

  17. Norman Vella says:

    Appell lil Owen Bonnici biex “inaddaf u jixkupa” lin-Nazzjonalisti.
    Aqra aktar hawn: http://normanvella.blogspot.com/2014/12/iridu-iktar-vendikazzjonijiet.html

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