Edward Scicluna already paid €60,000 to stay at home

Edward Scicluna, the former Labour Finance Minister currently suspended from his role as Governor of the Central Bank of Malta, has received €60,000 in state-funded salary payments despite having stepped aside from his duties nearly a year ago.

Documents obtained by The Shift from the Central Bank reveal that Professor Scicluna, 78, has been receiving close to €6,000 a month since August, the first whole month after his self-suspension. His five-year term as Governor is due to end in January.

These payments amount to nearly half the annual salary for the position, which stands at €138,000.

Acting Governor Sandro DeMarco assumed Scicluna’s responsibilities.

Scicluna was charged in court last year with money laundering and corruption, among other criminal offences related to the controversial concession of three state hospitals to Vitals Global Healthcare, later transferred to Steward Health Care.

He served as finance minister under disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat, whose administration has been plagued by scandal. Scicluna denies any wrongdoing, claiming decisions were taken without his knowledge.

While Prime Minister Robert Abela requested Scicluna’s resignation in light of the charges, the Governor refused, arguing that the government lacked the legal authority to remove him.

A compromise was eventually struck: Scicluna would step back temporarily but continue to receive half of his salary until the end of his term. Abela defended the arrangement publicly, stating that Scicluna remained “presumed innocent”.

Sources have suggested that Scicluna has since expressed frustration at Abela’s decision to reappoint Ronald Mizzi as Permanent Secretary. Mizzi, who faces similar criminal charges, was reinstated after Abela declared his belief in Mizzi’s innocence. Mizzi has yet to stand trial.

On top of his Central Bank salary, Scicluna—who turns 79 in October—also receives three separate pensions funded by taxpayers. These include a standard national insurance pension, a ministerial pension worth approximately €35,000 annually, and a pension from his tenure as a Member of the European Parliament.