A 71-year-old lawyer who was accused in 2012 of harassing then journalist and now Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli, and found guilty of the abusive use of an electronic device (a mobile phone) to send her lewd sexual messages, has now been put on the State payroll as an advisor to Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo.
The lawyer, Gozitan Alfred Grech, has been made an advisor to the Agricultural Bioresources Agency, known as GAB. While Grech’s experience or knowledge of agricultural issues is unclear, he was awarded the €10,000-a-year contract at the end of last year.
When Grech was hauled before the Gozitan Court of Magistrates to answer to accusations of harassing Julia Farrugia Portelli, he had been defended by then-opposition MP Anton Refalo.
Grech was found guilty and the Court of Appeal confirmed the verdict in 2013 and he was fined €3,000. He was also ordered to not approach Farrugia Portelli.
Grech had previously been found guilty of other crimes, including drink-driving.
He had contested the general elections on the PN ticket in 1981 and is still a lawyer practicing at his Gozitan-based firm Cosyra Legal. In 2005, he set up Circle Communications Ltd with fellow Gozitan and current film commissioner Johann Grech. The company was later closed down.
More direct orders for people close to government
According to the latest list of direct orders published in the Government Gazette, Refalo continued to hand out direct orders to friends and other individuals close to the Labour Party.
ABB Legal, a legal small firm set up by two young lawyers who were admitted to the bar in 2017, was awarded two contracts for legal advice worth €30,000.
The firm’s two partners are Desiree Attard, Marsascala’s former Labour Deputy Mayor, and Bryony Balzia Bartolo, Minister Owen Bonnici’s former aide . The two occupy other government positions.
Through his company, I Communications, former Labour Zabbar Mayor turned TVM current affairs presenter Quinton Scerri is acting as Refalo’s Ministry’s media monitoring and social media manager.
The Prime Minister’s personal photographer, Gareth Degiorgio, was awarded a €9,000 contract to provide ‘video and photographic services’.
Seed Business Advisory Ltd, co-owned by Jean Paul Fabri, once a public relations aide for former Nationalist Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, received several direct orders from Minister Refalo including those for a ‘proposal for a new authority’ and the preparation of a ‘strategic report’.
JP Fabri and his wife are now riding the gravy train. So much for principles JP.
Kulhadd ghandu prezz! X’jonqos issa, li hu jew il-mara johorgu ghall-elezzjoni mal-Labour?
Kulhadd jithanzer qalet nuxellina ghax Fabri ghandu jirrfuta direct orders ghal Seed Ltd., minnghand hon Refalo
Wahda f’wahda jaghmlu! Kull jum b’xi haga gdida. Vera jghajjuk! Ma nafx kif ghad hawn nies jaqbzu ghalihom ghax vera trid tkun tal-qata’ taghhom biex taccetta dawn l-affarijiet.
Kieku fis-26 sena ta’ inkompetenza, arroganza u arroganza istituzjonaliżżata nazzjonalistaniżel il-PL niżel f’dal-livell ċuċesk ta’ hackling politiku, kien jesponi litanija ta’ skandli f’kull ministeru kull 10 minuti.
So even Dr. Gonzi PR team was infiltrated by Labour while PM. I bet there are still in the PN admin who are Trogians.
So the minister ,who has a stolen piece of heritage in his back yard , hires a convicted lewd brained lawyer, passed his use by date , except his bank account. Abela has lost control of all the criminals he has in his cabinet. Whose next?
min jisraq hwejjeg haddiehor jissejjah – HALLIEL
Refalo is inventing everything to create cushy jobs for the boys..already i have no idea how many agencies he has, how many eat out of our taxes, and what they actually do.
The PL in which i had put my trust in 2013 is nothing but a can of maggots that will eat away at anything..shame on me for having allowed them to fool me
We all make mistakes your job now is to make others open their eyes to the truth .
il-hmieg kollhu tal-attivisti tal-muvument korrott qieghed jingabar kollu fi skip,.Isthu hallelin tal-haddiem onest.
Well, even useless people gotta eat, right? And it’s best to pay them out of other people’s money, right? Afterall, it’s not like tax collections are earmarked for any specific purpose; they belong to the party in power, right? Wrong!
Make your votes count !
Kemm hawn min jinsa jahasra. F’25 sena taht il pn hawn xi hadd jghidilna kemm inholqu xogholijiet fantazma. Insew dawn is sijuri meta hadu zieda ta 600 ewro fil gimgha bil mohbi. Il klikek ta gewwa minn dejjem kien u jibqghu. biex tiskongra trid tkun pur u Pur Alla BISS. Imma fost iz zewg partiti il Labour jibqa l favorit tal maggoranza kif urewna l fatti elezzjoni wara ohra.
True many have forgotten including you , The PN always up lifted our country when in power. It is the PL who have shamed us world wide. We had peace during those 25years. If you say there were jobs fantazma and you know about them, what stops you? Go to the police and report them not speak only and if you are trying to throw mud then this is dishonest. The only right thing you said was that only God is pure , The 500 you mentioned as far as I remember not 600 were given back so check this first before you speak. There is no comparison though to the billions we workers were cheated off , with these shady underhanded deals. Saying that PL is best because of the majority (which already has gone down) holds no water as both Hitler and Mussolini had millions but both ended badly . If people remain in ignorance and with blinkers refusing to understand the truth like you are doing we will have the same result . But I have faith that the people are not that stupid of getting robbed and cheated and will continue taking more of their lies any longer . unless they are pocketing , or uneducated and do not understand anything or corrupt ,
Int mhux qedd tghid il-verita fuq il-€500.
KULLHADD, JAF LI JOEY U SĦABU TAL-LEJBER, ACCETTAWHOM, UKOLL………………Int se tghidilna fuq din?
Imma hadd ma hadhom ghax l-inzjativa kienet twaqqfet.
KEMM SE DUMU TIGDBU U TĦARFU BIEX FORSI, TIĠBRU GIEĦKOM?