Archbishop silent on charges faced by Curia financial committee member

Aqra bil-Malti.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna is refusing to answer questions about whether he intends to take any action on Alfred Camilleri, one of the Curia’s financial advisors now facing charges in court.

Camilleri, who until a few years ago served as the finance ministry’s top civil servant, is being charged with fraud and dereliction of duty, among other charges, following the magisterial inquiry into the fraudulent Vitals/Steward hospitals deal.

Camilleri, 64, sits on the Curia’s financial committee, which, together with the Archbishop, makes the most important financial decisions for the Curia.

Camilleri, along with two other civil servants, Health Ministry Permanent Secretary (now retired) Joseph Rapa and Economy Ministry Permanent Secretary Ronald Mizzi, are being accused of turning a blind eye when the multi-million-euro deal was struck.

At the time of the deal, Alfred Camilleri denied any knowledge of what was going on.

He was also on the board of directors of Projects Malta – the government entity used by disgraced former minister Konrad Mizzi to negotiate and finalise the deal with Vitals Global Healthcare, which was then handed to Steward Healthcare.

Camilleri is also a member of the boards of directors of two listed companies owned by the Corinthia Group and the government-appointed Chairman of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.

Two bishops, different reactions

Soon after news emerged that Joseph Rapa was to be arraigned, Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma requested that Rapa—appointed as the Gozo Diocese’s representative on the board of directors of APS —be removed from office with immediate effect.

However, no such decision regarding Alfred Camilleri’s presence on the Curia’s financial committee has been made.

The Curia’s communications office did not reply to questions about whether Camilleri had offered his resignation.

Archbishop Scicluna is currently conducting sensitive negotiations with the government on financial compensation for property owned by the Church that was passed on to the government in 1993.