Aqra bil-Malti

A 73-year ‘consultant’ to the government company responsible for billing water and electricity services, Automated Revenue Management Services (ARMS) Ltd, is serving Labour constituents and clients from within the Labour Party (PL) headquarters in Hamrun.

ARMS officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Shift that Joseph Picco, a former police officer and the PL’s coordinator in Ħal-Għaxaq, is seeing those needing ‘help’ with paying their water and electricity bills during meetings regularly held at the headquarters of the party in government.

The sources confirmed that for this ‘voluntary work’, the pensioner has been put on the ARMS payroll as a consultant and paid around €1,000 a month, which supplements his pension.

The Shift independently confirmed that Picco is listed as a ‘consultant’ at ARMS according to information published in the Government Gazette.

ARMS ‘consultant’ Joseph Picco.

The officials revealed that Picco’s work is to meet disgruntled clients, who either receive high bills or final notices, which generally lead to suspending water and electricity services.

He ‘assists’ them in reaching some form of agreement with ARMS. Some are being sent to Picco through the Office of the Prime Minister’s customer care department, sources added.

Marisa Ciappara, the PL treasurer, is the ARMS Chief Officer who has the final say on whether a client should have his services suspended.

“Picco’s so-called consultancy job is to pass on information to Ciappara. It is up to her to find a solution for the disgruntled clients,” they added.

Picco is a former canvasser of disgraced former minister Konrad Mizzi and has held this ‘consultancy’ role at ARMS for several years.

All three top officials at ARMS are directly involved in the Labour Party.

The CEO is George Azzopardi, who, until the last general elections, was the CEO of the Labour Party chosen by Prime Minister Robert Abela.

Azzopardi was removed soon after the PL won with Abela at the helm, and his relationship with the prime minister soured. Yet Abela put him on a €100,000 financial package last September as CEO of ARMS.

According to officials, Marisa Ciappara is “the real boss” and the Chief Financial Officer, earning some €85,000 a year. An accountant by profession, she is also the official treasurer of the Labour Party and holds many other directorships on various other public boards.

Last year, The Shift reported that Ciappara, in breach of her employment contract, was conducting a side business during office hours, including through a private property management company with her cousin.

Despite evidence of her conflicting role, which was also sent to the CEO of ARMS, no disciplinary action was ever taken against Ciappara.

The third most important official at ARMS is Nikita Zammit Alamango, the President of Labour’s women’s section, known as Nisa Laburisti. She was also given a financial package of €85,000 as the Chief Operations Officer at ARMS.