Investigation reveals blatant abuse of rules by OPM to satisfy Michelle Muscat’s NGOs

A Standards Commissioner investigation has found that the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) breached its own rules for years to ensure that NGOs presided over by Michelle Muscat, wife of disgraced former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, were supplied with multiple government-paid employees, including two drivers, at taxpayers’ expense.

The investigation was launched following a complaint by Momentum politician Arnold Cassola and focused on the secondment of public officials to two organisations led by the former prime minister’s wife: the Marigold Foundation and the National Alliance for Rare Diseases Support.

Under OPM regulations, NGOs are permitted to have only one seconded public employee working with them at government expense. However, the Commissioner found that by treating Muscat’s two organisations as separate entities, despite operating from the same building and under the same leadership, the OPM allowed multiple secondments simultaneously.

At one stage, five public employees were assigned across the two NGOs, in clear breach of the rules.

Two of those seconded employees served as drivers.

Although both denied acting as Muscat’s personal chauffeurs, they admitted their workday typically began at Muscat’s private residence in Burmarrad. From there, they drove her government-provided vehicle to Valletta and, at the end of the day, returned the car to a garage at her home.

The Shift is informed that their regular duties included the daily transport of Muscat’s twin daughters to private schools in Mġarr and Ta’ Qali, all while remaining on the public payroll.

The Commissioner’s investigation also uncovered a series of additional irregularities, including the secondment of public officials who were not eligible because their grade exceeded the permitted level, the payment of unauthorised wages, and the absence of proper contracts regulating the assignments.

These breaches were approved by Principal Permanent Secretary Tony Sultana and the OPM’s Permanent Secretary responsible for human resources, Joyce Cassar.

The Commissioner criticised the OPM for what he described as a flagrant abuse of established procedures and a failure to ensure adherence to basic governance standards.

While the investigation did not find evidence that Prime Minister Robert Abela directly intervened to bend the rules in Muscat’s favour, it concluded that the system was manipulated over a number of years to accommodate Muscat.

Michelle Muscat rose to prominence during Joseph Muscat’s tenure as prime minister, positioning herself as a leading advocate for charitable causes. The Marigold Foundation, established shortly after Labour’s 2013 electoral victory, became her flagship platform, organising high-profile fundraising events and campaigns.

The National Alliance for Rare Diseases Support was similarly promoted under her patronage.

Over the years, The Shift has reported extensively on concerns regarding the use of public resources to support Muscat’s initiatives, including the deployment of government personnel and questions surrounding transparency and governance structures.