Former AG gets fourth government consultancy, worth €68,000

Malta’s former Attorney General, who resigned in 2020 amid widespread criticism of his record on tackling high-level corruption, has been handed his fourth consecutive government consultancy contract.

According to the Government Gazette, Justice Minister Jonathan Attard appointed Peter Grech, now 68, as his chief advisor on a one-year contract signed in 2024, worth €68,000.

The arrangement, which equates to almost €6,000 a month, comes on top of two state pensions, including a package amounting to two-thirds of the Attorney General’s full salary.

It is unclear what duties the former chief prosecutor performs under the agreement, though government sources indicated he has been present at meetings with external stakeholders on the minister’s behalf. Grech does not have a permanent office within the Valletta-based ministry.

Grech stepped down in September 2020 after a decade in office, amid sustained criticism over his handling of corruption allegations involving former prime minister Joseph Muscat, his then chief of staff Keith Schembri, and other senior Labour figures.

He drew particular scrutiny for his response to the Panama Papers, which revealed offshore structures in Panama and New Zealand linked to Schembri, former energy minister Konrad Mizzi, and Egrant. Critics accused Grech of urging investigators to proceed with excessive caution and of advising against the seizure of evidence, including servers belonging to the now-defunct accountancy firm Nexia BT, involving Brian Tonna and Karl Cini.

At the time, Grech also chaired the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU), which was faulted for failing to clamp down on money laundering. That record, critics say, contributed to Malta being placed on an international grey list in 2021.

His departure was followed within days by a transitional consultancy contract, issued by then justice minister Edward Zammit Lewis, worth €7,000 a month. Since then, he has remained on the government payroll through successive advisory roles.