Former foreign minister Carmelo Abela, named several times in relation to the robbery at the HSBC’s Operations Centre in Qormi in 2010, has been given a new government job as CEO of the Central Business District Foundation.

Abela, elected from the Zejtun district, held a number of ministerial roles assigned by disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat.  He was removed from cabinet after the last general elections.

Abela was named for his alleged involvement in the 2010 botched bank heist in which shots were fired at the police. At the time, Abela was an HSBC employee stationed at the attempted robbery site.

After holding several ministerial roles under disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat, Abela remains a Labour Party MP. He has now been selected by government-appointed chairman William Wait to lead the Foundation responsible for the upkeep of the Mriehel Industrial Estate.

The appointment came following “a public call” for applications and an interview with Wait. No details were given on the financial package the government gave to Abela.

According to Economy Minister Silvio Schembri, who is politically responsible for the Foundation, the government had nothing to do with his appointment. 

“The ministry played no role in the selection of Carmelo Abela. Once informed of the former CEO’s resignation, the ministry directed the Chair of the Board, William Wait, to issue a public call and manage the selection process,” a spokesman for the Economy Minister told The Shift.

Last week, convicted criminals George and Alfred Degiorgio named him again, under oath, insisting that both Abela and former economy minister Chris Cardona were involved in the robbery. They said they would give more details in the coming weeks.

Cardona also denies the claims

While Abela was interrogated by the police over his possible involvement in the robbery, no charges were ever filed against him.

In 2018, the former foreign minister was also caught using public workers to build a structure at his home in Zejtun.

Calls for his resignation were ignored.

William Wait sits on the board of no less than 19 companies.

The Foundation’s chairman, William Wait, who also holds many other government and private sector roles and was involved in the fraudulent hospitals deal, admitted to The Shift that he recruited the former minister.

“After thorough evaluation and personal interviews with the applicants, the Board unanimously agreed that Carmelo Abela has the necessary credentials, skills and experience to effectively lead the Foundation.”

The Shift asked Wait to list the former minister’s work experience in the manufacturing industry, but he did not reply, nor did he list the other members of the interviewing board.

Just a few weeks ago, when The Shift revealed a conflict of interest by Keith Fenech, the then-CEO of the Foundation, Wait made similar excuses.

The Shift revealed that Fenech was also working for Methode Electronics, a company that occupies one of the largest factories in the same industrial park.

Wait dismissed the conflict of interest, stating that Fenech’s roles as CEO of the Foundation and Methode differed. Fenech was removed from his position shortly after The Shift’s revelations.

Wait also sits on the Boards of a number of private companies that are clients of Malta Enterprise, where he is also its government-appointed chairman. Again, he dismissed suggestions that this is incompatible with his role as chairman of the same government entity.

Last week, Wait also said he would not step down from Malta Enterprise and did not assume responsibility following scathing criticism of his government agency’s role in the death of Jean-Paul Sofia following the publication of the inquiry.

While Peter Borg, the deputy chairman of Malta Enterprise, shouldered responsibility, Wait refused and insisted that he was not asked to resign.

This investigation was supported by The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation