Robert Abela dumps sacked PL CEO onto taxpayers

The former CEO of the Labour Party has been appointed Head of ARMS Ltd, the government entity responsible for the billing of utilities.

George Azzopardi – one of Abela’s former campaigners in his bid to take over the leadership of the Labour Party in 2020 – was Labour’s CEO until the last general elections. He was sacked by Prime Minister Robert Abela in 2022.

In yet another move to settle disgruntlement within the Party, Abela awarded Azzopardi with a new position at taxpayers’ expense.

Government sources told The Shift that Abela and Azzopardi became estranged in 2022 after the PM sacked him. Sources said that Azzopardi, from Qormi, and a former canvasser of Abela’s father (former President George Abela), took offence over his sacking and was no longer on speaking terms with the prime minister.

A few weeks ago, Azzopardi’s name was flagged as a possible contestant for the PL’s deputy leadership post, which Abela opposed internally.

The prime minister had already given him another position, but Azzopardi wanted a better-remunerated post.

The financial package offered to Azzopardi is still unknown.

Azzopardi is the latest PL CEO dumped onto the public payroll.

Others, including Jason Micallef, Gino Cauchi, and Randolph Debattista, were also given lucrative jobs to make way for others to get one of the top PL posts.

While Cauchi has been heading the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation for years, Jason Micallef was given two state-funded jobs as chairman of the Valletta Cultural Agency and director of Ta’ Qali’s National Park. He was recently also offered a minor role within the Labour administration to keep him from contesting the deputy leadership role.

Following last June’s MEP elections and pressure on Abela to sack Randolph Debattista, the latter was nominated to become Malta’s Permanent Representative to UN agencies in Geneva, Switzerland. He will live there with his husband, former Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer.