€42,000 direct order for minister’s brother to transport vegetables

Ino Abela, a haulage operator from Gozo and the brother of Gozitan Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela, was paid €42,000 over nine months by the government to transport fruit and vegetables produced by farmers to the Maltese food market, better known as the Pitkalija.

Confirming the issue of a direct order for the new service introduced by the Malta Food Agency, Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo, also from Gozo, did not explain why and how Abela was selected for this €4,500 a month direct order.

However, he said that the direct order has now stopped, and the same service is being provided by another supplier, for much lower costs, following the issue of a tender.

The issue was first raised in Parliament a few months ago by PN MP Chris Said, who asked Minister Refalo to confirm that the Health Minister’s brother was providing this service, paid by the government.

Refalo confirmed this was the case, but he did not provide information on his payments or how the government handpicked Abela.

Following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by The Shift, the Malta Food Agency said that Ino Abela was paid through a direct order some €42,000 over nine months between May 2024 and January 2025.

The information showed that Abela picked the farmers’ produce on a road in Xewkija and took it to Ta’ Qali’s Pitkalija twice a week. Every month, he received a cheque for €4,500

Following a call for tenders for the same service, Abela was not the service provider selected, even though he bid for it. His bid was €166,000 for a two-year service.

The tender was awarded to George Vella for a much lower price, at €95,000.

It is estimated that some 250 Gozitan farmers are using this service.

Ino Abela is not the only relative of the Health Minister who was put on the government’s gravy train since his brother was appointed to Cabinet in 2022.

The first employee the Health Minister put on the public payroll is Mariella Abela, his brother’s wife. She was appointed his personal secretary and is described by Health Ministry officials as “the power behind the throne”.

Mariella Abela has political aspirations and successfully contested the Victoria local council election last year on behalf of Labour.