Ali Baba and the 40 thieves carry on filling their pockets

Another day, another cronyism or corruption scandal: today it’s Michael Falzon, filling his pockets at the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation, which is run by his Labour Party colleague Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, even though it is a state corporation and not a political party outfit.

Falzon resigned from his position of Parliamentary Secretary for Lands some months ago, under protest, in the thick of the corruption scandal surrounding his friend Mark Gaffarena. I’d say he was forced to do so, by his boss the Prime Minister who wished to obscure the fact that he – Muscat – is the Minister responsible for Lands, while Falzon is just his office underling and PS.

But Falzon, who received a magnificent pay-off from the Bank of Valletta where he has worked since his law-student days, having been recruited as a young Mintoffian when the bank was controlled by Prime Minister Mintoff, said to the press that he has “a family to feed” (this being a wife and children all of working age). His six-figure pay-off from the bank wasn’t enough, so now it was Muscat’s turn to scratch Falzon’s back, and Falzon is back on the state pay-roll in a non-job where he needn’t do anything much but collect his salary. That’s familiar territory for him.