Education minister’s former chief ‘on leave’ after leaked call

Ryan Borg has been placed ‘on leave’ following the leak of a private phone conversation in which he harshly criticised Education Minister Clifton Grima.

While Borg is now a director at the Authority for Integrity in Maltese Sport (AIMS), he was previously Grima’s chief of staff.

In the recording of a conversation he held with an unknown third party leaked to Net News, Borg was heard saying about his previous boss: “If he is unaware of the problems he has around him then he should not be in that position.”

He was heard in the recording saying the minister was “not fit for purpose”.

He also took aim at Grima’s current chief of staff, Joe Filletti, saying “he can’t even write,” and accused the minister of surrounding himself with “yes men” rather than qualified individuals.

Borg further criticised what he described as a lack of discipline among Grima’s staff, claiming that most members of the minister’s secretariat were unqualified and rarely showed up for work.

The leak has triggered significant fallout. The Shift is informed that AIMS Chairman, former Judge Antonio Mizzi, has asked Borg to step aside until the controversy subsides.

When contacted by The Shift, Borg confirmed that he was on leave but insisted it was voluntary, not a result of political pressure.

He described the leak as an “illegal breach of privacy” and declined to identify the person he was speaking to or who may have passed the recording to the media.

However, he warned that those responsible “will have to answer in court for their criminal actions.”

Borg, who also serves as a Labour councillor in Sliema, claimed the conversation took place two years ago and was strictly private.

“I never imagined that someone on the other end was recording me to use it against me later,” he said.

Minister Grima has downplayed the criticism, saying Borg’s comments reflected his personal impressions rather than the reality within his ministry. He also ruled out taking any action against his former chief of staff.

AIMS in turmoil

The leak follows Prime Minister Robert Abela’s decision to appoint former Labour MP Jean Claude Micallef as AIMS CEO.

The move was resisted by Chairman Antonio Mizzi and other board members.

Though Mizzi and the board ultimately conceded to Micallef’s appointment, tensions remained high.

The situation escalated further after reports surfaced of a controversial consultancy contract granted to a banned footballer.

Micallef, who openly criticised Mizzi’s leadership, denied any involvement in the contract and claimed he was the target of “baseless attacks, obscene lies, and systematic manoeuvres.”

The power struggle culminated in Micallef’s resignation just days after Minister Grima refused to accept Mizzi’s resignation.

Mizzi, a former judge, is married to ex-Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi and has held multiple government-appointed roles, as well as his family members, since retiring from the judiciary.

In addition to chairing AIMS, he leads the Law Reform Commission and the Embryo Authority, among other positions.