Former Malta Financial Services Authority CEO Joseph Cuschieri created a new role at the Authority. He called the new position ‘General Counsel for EU and International Affairs’.
He then alerted his friend, former colleague and travelling partner Edwina Licari about it. Licari, who had just accompanied Cuschieri on that notorious Las Vegas trip funded by Yorgen Fenech, immediately applied.
Another two well-qualified individuals submitted their applications too. But only Licari was shortlisted. Why? Because Cuschieri himself, who told Licari about the post, was on the selection board.
Cuschieri even interviewed Licari. Licari got the job.
That job should never have been created. Cuschieri needed the approval of the Public Administration Human Resources Office (PAHRO) to create it. Cuschieri had no such approval. He hadn’t even bothered requesting approval.
Even worse, the job was advertised as a three-year position. But Cuschieri gave Licari an indefinite contract. When Cuschieri was challenged, he claimed “It is not unusual for MFSA employees to be employed on an indefinite contract”.
In fact, only Cuschieri himself as CEO had been on an indefinite contract. All other employees had fixed-term contracts.
Cuschieri not only created a new top-ranking post at MFSA without authorisation and against all public administration regulations, but he changed the job from a three-year post to a permanent one.
He told his friend to apply, shortlisted her and only her, excluded all other applicants, recruited her and gave her an exorbitant salary. That salary was described as “more or less equivalent” to that of other so-called ‘chiefs’ of various units within the authority.
Cuschieri abused his position. He broke all the rules, unfairly thwarted the whole selection process, failed to declare his conflict of interest, robbed other applicants of their opportunities, and lied when challenged.
A Review Board tasked with investigating Cuschieri and Licari, headed by current Commissioner for Standards in Public Life Joseph Azzopardi concluded that “all three applicants should have been interviewed” but that “there was otherwise nothing wrong with Dr Licari’s selection”.
Should we laugh or weep? The man who is now the Standards Commissioner concluded that “there was nothing wrong”.
The injustice of the whole selection process screams out. The whole selection was rigged. It was a scam. Cuschieri hijacked an entire process to appoint his friend Licari. The other applicants didn’t stand a chance.
The whole country was cheated. Those applicants might have been better suited for the job than Licari.
Yet Licari is still at MFSA enjoying her generous remuneration and other benefits bestowed upon her by her friend Cuschieri – not for three years, as the original application specified, but in an indefinite contract theoretically for her entire working life.
But for now-Commissioner Azzopardi “There was nothing wrong”. The man can’t tell between right and wrong. Or, rather he can, but conveniently closes both eyes. No wonder Robert Abela was desperate to appoint him commissioner.
The country is burdened with Labour’s malignant decisions – the decision to appoint Joseph Cuschieri CEO to the Malta Gaming Authority and then to the MFSA, the decision to give Licari an indefinite post created for her, and the decision to appoint Joseph Azzopardi Standards commissioner.
No wonder the MFSA fought tooth and nail for almost three years to keep Joseph Azzopardi’s report about Cuschieri and Licari secret.
That report provides striking evidence of Azzopardi’s appalling judgement and unfitness for the role of Standards Commissioner.
It also reveals Labour’s systematic dismantling of the institutions through the appointment of cronies, so devoid of integrity that they trampled the rules and were yet provided sanctuary through state secrecy and phoney investigations.
The MFSA pulled all the stops to avoid publishing Azzopardi’s report. It took The Shift almost three years of fighting the MFSA’s excuses and refusals to publish the report.
The MFSA even claimed the report “cannot be considered an official document”. It tried to use privacy as an excuse for concealing the report. It claimed the MFSA Act prevented it from publishing it.
The MFSA blatantly lied to avoid publishing the report. It claimed that its public statement of 26 November 2021 “provided the conclusion of the report of the Board of Review”.
It didn’t.
That statement read: “The MFSA received the report….on the same day the MFSA received Mr Cuschieri’s resignation. The Authority has taken note of Mr Cuschieri’s resignation. It has also taken note of the Board’s opinion. The Board of Review’s conclusion regarding Mr Cuschieri leads the MFSA Board to ratify his resignation”.
No mention of what the Board’s conclusions were. That statement was intended solely to cover up for Cuschieri’s despicable abuse.
In its original statement of 30 October 2020, MFSA stated: “The review is to be conducted in the most transparent and ethical manner”. MFSA subsequently spent all its energies ensuring the report remained secret.
Now that the Information and Data Protection Commissioner has compelled MFSA to publish that report, we understand all those efforts.
That report reveals far more shocking information. Cuschieri, while MFSA CEO, was “invited by Yorgen Fenech to accompany him to Las Vegas”.
Cuschieri was to “give Mr Fenech expert advice”. Yorgen Fenech paid all expenses. So while Cuschieri was being paid by us, he abandoned his job at MFSA to travel with and advise Yorgen Fenech.
Did he take time off? Did he have the approval of the MFSA board? Who authorised his absence?
But Cuschieri “says he felt no conflict of interest”. We have no doubt. Cuschieri felt nothing. Neither did he feel anything when he claimed additional payment for attending MFSA board meetings when he was already paid for his attendance as CEO.
The Ministry had to intervene to stop his greedy additional payments for those meetings and ordered him to refund the money he’d been paid. But for Standards Commissioner Azzopardi, “Mr Cuschieri simply claimed the payment of honoraria which was provisionally approved by the Chairman of the Board.”
This is Labour’s speciality. It appoints cronies, condones their abuse, scrambles to cover up and justify that abuse whenever it is exposed – and rewards those who help cover up that abuse by appointing them to far better positions.
It’s a win-win for Labour’s cronies.
Il-hmieg u l-hnizrijiet li hergin igibulek ghajnejk wara widnejk. Kemm se ndumu sejrin b’dan il-hmieg??? Meta se jqum qawma papali dan il-povru poplu??????
Now we know why Robert Abela was so keen to appoint former Judge Joseph Azzopardi.as Commissioner of Standards in Public Life and this is only the beginning.
We need to “dis appoint” Abela at the next election!
The blind, the deaf and the mute creatures of legendary renown could certainly agree on one thing – ‘no evil’.
So could some others who came after them!
The man who is now the Standards Commissioner concluded that “there was nothing wrong”.
They have appointed so many puppets they are going to need a few more puppeteers maybe by some direct order on a vast salary
A very wise couple once whispered in my ear when still a teenager many moons ago.
Always surround yourself with people who can give you good advice, very possibly better than what you believe is the best way forward.
Unfortunately this wise couple very dear to me , my dad and mom passed away many years ago.
Today, I realise that I could have followed better.
Unfortunately the PL in government seem to not have had this vital advice or they looked at power and money more than ethical behaviour.
Reminds me on my late father who in fact was the only one chosen by myself as being a person who could give me good advice. As in your example, when one is young, on thinks that the wisdom of the elderly, based on their experiences in life, isn’t always the way forward. Later in life, after having made one’s own experiences, one realises quite what you said yourself.
I wasn’t told the same phrase as you were, but I was only following any advice from people who were genuine in their character and in retrospect and regards to that, it was indeed only my father I really could trust and rely on, no matter what. There hasn’t passed a day on which I am not thinking of him, like thinking of a missing part of myself which but also still lives on in me. That means, he never really left my heart and mind. But to look for such examples in politics, is to look for it in vain because it doesn’t exist. Therefore, my ‘enthusiasm’ in politics has its limits, partly set by myself based on my own experiences and partly as a consequence based on the behaviour of politicians.
Family matters most, for some also friends matter, but parties are easily replaceable and more so when they lack a great deal of substance in ethical behaviour.
Doesn’t this judge have a modicum of decency or the law which he was supposed to uphold during his previous tenure???
He is as corrupt as they come! la bella (mafia) compagnia!
If he had, Robert Abela would not have insisted on his appointment.
Yet another incisive piece by Dr. Cassar.
How those identified in these scandals should squirm and hang their heads in shame when their dirty washing is laundered in the public domain.
Sadly it appears that the words shame and integrity are similarly not recognised by the “ untouchables’ “ friends who now seem to enjoy a monopoly of being in a position that no matter what, they will protect the shameful rabble to keep their secrets safe a while longer.
They dare to call this nothing wrong is this? When they were continually stated that people will get a job not through those they know but in a fair manner . Is this a fair manner?
What sort of another farce that fits the other previous ones.
Parts of the article read like a reminder to the Stalinist era in other countries at that time.
I can only imagine the frustration by those who were more, better say indeed qualified for the job, but didn’t make it because another PL crony was already set up to get the job beforehand anyway. That’s the reminder to the aforesaid to me.
But the article itself gives one some food for thoughts in regards to how shortlistings in Malta might go, not just in politics and jobs in the public sector. Seems to me that personal sentiments and connections always prevail over qualifications. This all looks like a big and deep swamp to me.
The Standard Commissioner is another link in Malta’s Mafia Chain, and is already proving to having the credentials for making it to a faithfull subject in the Godfather’s Court.
Judging on his topsy turvey buffon judgement, I would question and investigate every judgement given by him in his office as a member of the judiciary.
NOT FIT AND PROPER except as a door mat.
Ma nafx kif ser nohorgu minnu dal hmieg li dahluna fih dawn l ipokriti. L elezjoni fadliha u huma jafu li dal poplu bi ftit karawett tixtrih. Ghajejt nisma skandlu wiehed wara l iehor,tibda tinsa x,gara sena ilu. Biex forsi l poplu jiftah mohhu trid tmislu l but u huma jafuh dan.
Il-Kummissarju ghall-Istandards fil-Hajja Pubblika ghandu jigi investigat.
This man was an ex judge yet it seems that he has no morals, this is a person that was suppose to uphold the law. Scary when all that matters in a country is the colour you support and decision by these people are made solely on political affiliations and not on what is the right thing to do.
“Friend”… is that why the marriage to the president’s daughter failed?
The judge conclusion was different then your interpretation. “It also resulted that at the time during which Dr. Licari applied and was recruited for this position, the MFSA fell under the application of Directive 7, issued by the Public Service. This Directive permitted the entities which fell under its remit to recruit for an existing position without seeking the Public Administration Human resources Office (PAHRO) ‘s approval. However, the position filled by Dr. Licari was a new position and therefore such approval was required. The MFSA was however, exempted from the effects of Directive 7 during the same month of October during which Dr. Licari started her employment”