Clayton Bartolo campaigning for elections as arraignment still pending

Former Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo, who was sacked from the cabinet and the Labour Parliamentary Group in November at the initiative of Prime Minister Robert Abela, is still hoping to contest the next general elections on behalf of Labour, as his possible arraignment on alledged corruption and money laundering claims remains pending.

Over the past few weeks, the sacked former Labour Minister, who held his seat in parliament as an independent, has been touring village feasts in his district, accompanied by his canvassers.

The Labour Party has also contributed to Bartolo’s efforts, as he was welcomed and invited into Labour clubs, along with the rest of the PL candidates in the district.

On one of these occasions, a few days ago, the Labour Party club in Birkirkara, part of his constituency, invited Bartolo, to a reception for the village feast. This was not welcomed by his candidate rivals, who were also present at the same event.

The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) did not respond to questions sent about the current state of police investigations accompanied by a temporary asset freeze on Bartolo and his wife, Amanda Muscat.

Neither did Robert Abela declare his position on whether Bartolo will be allowed to contest the next elections on behalf of Labour, given his appearances inside PL clubs. Another MP, Rosianne Cutajar, was re-admitted on Labour’s ticket after she was caught in breach of ethics and was sacked.

Bartolo was sacked by Abela in November 2024 over serious allegations of wrongdoing that had reached the OPM.

According to Abela, Bartolo was removed from the Cabinet and the Labour Party as soon as these claims reached his desk. Abela never explained what these “serious claims” involved.

However, media reports suggested that they were about alleged kickbacks from clients of the tourism Ministry passed through Bartolo’s wife, Amanda. Both Bartolo and his wife refute these claims.

At the time of his sacking, Prime Minister Robert Abela was under intense pressure to act after a Standards Commissioner report confirmed that Bartolo, together with Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri, had breached the Ministerial Code of Ethics by facilitating a consultancy job for Amanda Muscat, for which she was not qualified.

Initially, Abela had refused to take any action despite the damning report. However, he changed his mind a few days later, implying that he received new claims of abuse by Minister Bartolo, which left him no option but to take action against him.

While the police have been investigating the case since November, with an asset freeze issued a month later, the couple have not yet been arraigned in court to answer for the allegations they face.

In parliament, Bartolo continued to vote in line with the PL group and is now campaigning again as a Labour candidate.