Pierre Fenech – the CEO of the government’s Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) – took his wife on a free cruise around the Mediterranean courtesy of Viking Cruises, a Swiss-based company that, at the time, was negotiating a deal to send staff to train at the same Institute, The Shift has confirmed.
The Shift was further informed that despite Fenech being advised not to accept the gift, as this could compromise negotiations with the government, he still went ahead and spent five days on the luxury ship.
When contacted, Fenech admitted that he had accepted the invitation but insisted that he had asked for clearance from Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo’s ministry. He insisted it was “no gift” and that Permanent Secretary Anthony Gatt had approved the trip.
“Although procedurally there was no need for any clearance since no gifts were involved, as ordinary procedure adopted in these circumstances (in the name of good governance and transparency), we referred the matter to our Permanent Secretary, who gave his go-ahead,” Fenech said.
The Shift is informed that a similar invitation by Viking Cruises was also extended to Frank Fabri, the former Education Ministry Permanent Secretary, who was forced to resign and then given a new job as General Manager of the ITS Training Institute. Yet Fabri declined.
Information obtained through a Freedom of Information request shows that Fenech charged the ITS for a refund for his travel arrangements to Ancona, where the trip departed on 25 April and returned on 2 May.
But he told The Shift that his wife, Romina, who accompanied him, paid for her travel arrangements to and from Ancona. He also said that a colleague from the ITS, Andrew Debattista, also joined the free trip.
“Members of staff who work for ITS who were and are involved in discussions to start offering courses in the cruise line business were invited for the ‘shakedown cruise during which a lot of testing is done before cruise ships accept guests on board,” Fenech said.
In his FOI declaration, Fenech omitted the fact that he spent five days on board the luxurious Viking Saturn and instead said his travels consisted of “meetings with Viking Cruises on possible collaborations in the future, especially in connection with the new ITS campus.”
‘Super CEO’ on board the Viking Saturn
Pierre Fenech and his wife Romina also attended a ceremony at the Fincantieri Shipyard in Ancona, where the newest ocean cruise liner was officially handed over to Viking.
Pierre Fenech and his wife Romina, a Housing Authority official given political appointments on government boards, also attended a ceremony at the Fincantieri Shipyard in Ancona where the newest ocean cruise liner was officially handed over to Viking.
The CEO and his wife then boarded the Viking Saturn for a five-day fully paid cruise, which would usually cost thousands of euros, with stops at Dubrovnik (Croatia), Corfu (Greece), Messina (Sicily), Naples and Rome.
Dubbed ‘Super CEO’, a jab at the two full-time CEO positions he was given, Fenech makes some €122,000 from his two government jobs.
Apart from his ITS post, he is also the CEO of the Mediterranean Conference Centre, another entity falling under the political remit of Clayton Bartolo.
Although he is not held accountable for the hours he should spend managing the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Minister Bartolo defended Fenech’s double role, saying he “delivers very good results”.
Fenech was also the CEO who offered disgraced Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar a consultancy job while already a sitting Labour MP.
Fenech never explained why he gave Cutajar the consultancy role and what results, if any, she had delivered.
No gifts involved ?????
This political party in Government is so filthy and filled with hefty corruption (who has also managed to involve Permanent Secretaries in all this sh**) that when one day (and this day is very soon) this political party will return to the Opposition benches, it will probably disappear from the political scene for long. The aftermath of the current political tragedy will particularly serve to heal the wounds, where people will be less manipulated, and though given the opportunity to realize more about the damage this corrupt lot did to our country. Dear Prime Minister, History will not be kind with the LP, and this is all thanks to you, because you have created a political climate where people of good will continues to be oppressed by those crooks who have been appointed in top positions by yourself. And you continue to ignore these people because you do not care less. It is part of your nature and cannot do otherwise. Please leave for good before you continue to inflict more damage.
Your superiors may have given you clearance but my common sense hasn’t and neither should have your professional judgement. I wont appeal to your moral compass as its been long broken.
ITS, led by two super cronies one sees no conflict of interest, the other doesn’t know what misappropriation public funds means. The only time that there’s was any actual wrong doing at ITS was when lecturers followed legitimate union directives and got fired.
I’m fed up paying my taxes for these crooks.
To quote from the wonderful BBC series Dad’s Army “ We’re all doomed “ with this cabal in charge.
No moral or ethical compass in play anywhere in sight.
This is pure sleaze. Nothing else.
This is the kind of continuing sleaze that will bring down the MLP and all these jobs for the boys will be ditched. Make the most of it.
Put them away and throw away the key. Criminals!!!
So if I am going to do something wrong, but get permission to do the wrong thing before I do it, then the wrong thing I am doing is miraculously right. And we sit down and accept this crap on a daily basis.
Mejtin bil- guh
these people must be coated with special invisible lard….they see nothing as conflicting!!!
Must be the “I’m corrupt as much as you” syndrome or “everyone’s pigging out why shouldn’t I” virus!
Inhossni veru dispjacut li nies bhal Pierre Fenech jibqaw jithanzru, jien kont gejt offrut xoghol minn Pierre Fenech, li nahdem l-ITS, bil-Paga ta’ 1,000 Euro fix-xhar, bhala self employed, fil-vaganzi tal-iskola minghajr hlas.
Clearance from the Minister and approval by the Permanent Secretary do not make right what is inherently wrong.
There was a time when Permanent Secretaries were not afraid to reject their Minister’s proposals and would rather choose to relinquish their post in pride than be forced to resign it in shame.
Pigs eating at the nation’s trough.
Iddevertu hmieg sa ma x xemx ghada tiddi. Jasal il waqt meta l kontijiet ikunu jridu jinghalqu. Imbaghad naraw il lussu kollu fejn iwassal.
The Roman poet Virgil famously wrote ‘Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes’ ( I fear the Greek (adversaries) and the prize bearers. )
Hafna CEO’s qedin fil kariga biex jisolħu lil pajjiz u lil ħaddem , imbgħad allaħares xi hadd b’bicca paga jieħu xi zball ,għax nipruvaw ingennuħ !
Hekk kienet hekk ghada u hekk ser tibqa, nehhija minn Rasek LI din xi darba ser tinbidel, I’d DINJA kollha, minn President SA Priminstru.
Jien niftakar IL Palazz ta Sant Anton, ghall Hames Snin Shah Kullhadd jiffanga u Jixxala taht IL Presidenza, IR RAZZA U Radika , u XI Mawra IL Vatikan NERGA najd Ir RAZZA U RADIKA, minn JAF xi Swiet u l Poplu JHALLAS mit Taxxi IL Kelb u l Qattus kien jonqoshom jtellaw IL Vatikan.
Ara sewwa jajdu LI DEJJEM narawit tibna FL Ghajn u Travu LI JKOLNA f Ghajneja nippruvaw NOSTRUH, TAPARSI MAHNIEX NARAWH.
HEMM RUMANSI TA STEJJER BHALL DAWN.