Abela recycles Muscat-era ally for Monaco diplomatic role

Amid speculation of early general elections, Prime Minister Robert Abela is seeking to shore up support among disillusioned Labour voters, particularly those loyal to his predecessor, Joseph Muscat, by rewarding veteran party figures with diplomatic appointments.

In the latest such move, 84-year-old Norman Hamilton has been named non-resident ambassador to the Principality of Monaco.

The former DJ and tourism entrepreneur, who previously served as High Commissioner to the UK, has been a vocal critic of Abela’s leadership, especially in the wake of criminal charges brought against Muscat, who stands accused of corruption and money laundering.

Hamilton’s appointment follows Labour’s underwhelming performance in the European Parliament elections on 24 June, which exposed deepening divisions within the party.

Abela had earlier placed Hamilton on the board of directors at the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS). The ambassadorship to Monaco marks a further gesture aimed at reconciling with Labour’s old guard.

Foreign Minister Ian Borg formally presented Hamilton’s nomination, which was rubber-stamped by Parliament’s Public Appointments Committee—a process widely seen as a formality given the committee’s Labour majority.

The Opposition voted against the appointment, citing Hamilton’s overt partisanship and questioning his suitability for the role.

During the committee hearing, Hamilton offered little in the way of substantive answers, instead berating MPs for failing to ask about his “five-year diplomatic career” in London—a position granted by the now-disgraced Muscat administration.

Following his diplomatic stint in the UK, Hamilton was appointed by Muscat in 2018 as chairman of Festivals Malta.

Under Hamilton’s leadership, the agency awarded over €1 million in direct orders to companies closely tied to Labour Party event logistics.

A report by the National Audit Office later described the organisation under Hamilton’s stewardship as “a village club.”

Hamilton’s appointment comes just weeks after another former Nationalist MP turned Labour, Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, was named non-resident ambassador to Rwanda. Unlike Hamilton, Pullicino Orlando’s nomination was backed by both government and Opposition MPs.