Junior minister silent on family link in secretariat appointment

The Parliamentary Secretary for Active Ageing, Malcolm Agius Galea, has declined to confirm whether he appointed his wife’s cousin as his official spokesperson – a role financed through his private secretariat.

Sources told The Shift that Rudi Camilleri, still in his 20s and an IT graduate from Żebbuġ, was hired shortly after Agius Galea assumed his post in 2024. Camilleri, who has no formal background in communications, is the cousin of the junior minister’s wife.

Both Agius Galea and Camilleri failed to respond to repeated requests for comment on the appointment or the potential conflict of interest it raises.

The ministerial code of ethics states that ministers and parliamentary secretaries are prohibited from employing direct family members within their private secretariats. The regulation, however, does not explicitly address appointments involving relatives by marriage – a loophole that may provide Agius Galea with cover.

Camilleri, a Labour Party activist, also operates as a freelance graphic designer and videographer, securing work through government contracts.

Agius Galea, a medical doctor and former local councillor from Żebbuġ, is not the only official facing scrutiny over familial appointments. Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela, his superior, has also drawn attention for naming his brother’s wife as his private secretary.

Camilleri previously worked within the secretariat of former health minister Chris Fearne, leaving the post abruptly in 2024 when Agius Galea joined the Executive. Sources familiar with his career said he began working for Fearne in 2020, while still completing his university degree.

Allegations of nepotism and conflicts of interest have become a recurring feature of Robert Abela’s administration.