Ian Borg’s close adviser fined €1,200 for illegal trapping, has licence revoked

Foreign Minister Ian Borg’s aide and advisor Jesmond Zammit has been fined €1,200 and has had his trapping licence revoked for two years after admitting in court on Wednesday to illegal trapping charges.

Ian Borg’s long-time right-hand man had been apprehended on 26 March last year by members of the Environmental Protection Unit (EPU), who detained the minister’s aide in a field in Ghar Lapsi, Siggiewi, on suspicions of illegal trapping.

The EPU was acting on a report from the eNGO Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS).

At the time transport minister, Borg repeatedly has since flatly refused to comment on the incident involving his closest aide and person of trust. Both he and Zammit have been stonewalling questions from The Shift for over a year about Borg’s chief canvasser and advisor’s arrest.

Pictures of the incident sent to The Shift last year show police officers approaching a man, allegedly Zammit, as he was arranging illicit clap nets. The nets were confiscated, and the man was interviewed by the police.

The incident has now been confirmed with Zammit’s sentencing on Wednesday.

Just this week The Shift reported how Zammit, who has been embroiled in several embarrassing scandals involving the minister in recent years, has now been put on the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s payroll even though he has no knowledge or experience in diplomacy.

His appointment is ruffling feathers at the Foreign Ministry, with Zammit reportedly ordering seasoned career diplomats around on the minister’s instructions.

Senior diplomats told The Shift that Zammit is rarely seen at the office and instead influences the foreign office’s work through regular phone calls to its top officials.

Zammit and the Minister go back a long time and he was Borg’s chief of staff in 2013 when he was first made parliamentary secretary.

During his association with Borg, Zammit was at the centre of scandals, including a €70,000-a-year direct order given to his daughter Adreana by Transport Malta, when she was still a student; the police’s early release from arrest of Gozitan footballer Daniel Bogdanovic so he could play a match for a team Zammit coaches; and, more recently, in the Transport Malta driving tests scandal.

In its latest revelations, The Shift reported how Zammit keeps close contact with Glorianne Micallef Portelli, Ian Borg’s Head of Customer Care.

Compromising messages from the latter’s mobile number, which is paid for by the foreign office, were found on the phone of Clint Mansueto – a senior Transport Malta official accused of corruption in the ongoing driving tests scandal. Mansueto had told the police he felt obliged to recommend that certain candidates pass their tests since some of them were working at a Minister’s villa.

Ian Borg completely denies any association with the Transport Malta scandal and any with the transgressions of his advisor.

                           

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Gheneb qares
Gheneb qares
1 year ago

Meta bniedem ikun kbir daqs Jesmond tarawh teddida Grande Jesmond. J’Alla jkolkom imqar fraction minn tijuw

Gheneb qares

M.Galea
M.Galea
1 year ago
Reply to  Gheneb qares

Int bis serjeta jigifieri jew jiena miniex nifhem l messag stupidu tieghek?

Joseph
Joseph
1 year ago
Reply to  Gheneb qares

Rajtek kemm inti zbaljat totalment zbaljat bl’injoranza. Hadd mhu ghola mil-ligi qas Ministru li jirrapresenta lill gahan u l barranin. Malta tal-maltin u ta’ hadt izjed. Ideat hziena mghallma mil-bejta laburista.

Mark
Mark
1 year ago
Reply to  Gheneb qares

Jesmond kif inhu ta’ theddida ghalija? Spjegali ftit ghax mhux nifhem. Hu insult ghad-diplomazija Maltija fil-fora internazzjonali.

Melissa Bagley
Melissa Bagley
1 year ago
Reply to  Gheneb qares

Żomm għalik, sabiħ.

Joseph Tabone Adami
Joseph Tabone Adami
1 year ago

Taking a cue from a well-known saying:-

With advisors like this, who needs opposers?

Last edited 1 year ago by Joseph Tabone Adami
Francis Said
Francis Said
1 year ago

Anyone holding a high position within Government and does not only break the laws, is incompetent and is only there because he is a personal friend of a Minister and his family gets appointments with government when not even fully qualified. There is only one solution to this. Sack him immediately without any golden handshakes or favours.
If Minister wants to keep such an obscene person, then he should pay him from his own pocket, NOT taxpayers’ funds.

Mick
Mick
1 year ago
Reply to  Francis Said

Unfortunately most of the “Ministers” are not qualified and totally incompetent, and are in fact there through favouritism or collusion. The sacking of them is much desired and necessary, however this is the Mafia and most certainly won’t happen.

viv
viv
1 year ago

A scumbag.

Jacob
Jacob
1 year ago

Right hand man with privileges.

Melissa Bagley
Melissa Bagley
1 year ago
Reply to  Jacob

I’ll be honest. I’m surprised he was found guilty, fined and licence revoked. Tipo dan x’kien?

Gahan
Gahan
1 year ago
Reply to  Melissa Bagley

Leaders try to remove any threats! No?

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