Investigated Mt Carmel chief given controversial ambassadorial appointment

The government has pushed ahead with the appointment of Mount Carmel Hospital CEO Roseanne Camilleri as Malta’s non-resident ambassador to Liechtenstein, just months after a police investigation into her conduct was surprisingly and inexplicably dropped.

The nomination was approved by Parliament, despite a contrary vote by members of the PN Opposition during a parliamentary hearing.

Camilleri was visibly uncomfortable when asked pertinent questions by PN MP Adrian Delia, insisting that she had done nothing wrong and instead putting the blame on her subordinates for the botched refurbishment of two health centres, a process which was characterised by direct order contracts and mismanagement.

Delia insisted that the Opposition believes that all those in top positions, like Camilleri, should also carry responsibility for what happens on their watch, and not blame others for their misdeeds.

He also said that Camilleri does not have any relation to diplomacy and could not understand why the government and Foreign Minister Ian Borg continued to insist on her nomination, particularly following the serious accusations made by the Health Ministry just a few months ago.

Sources close to the Health Ministry told The Shift that senior health officials had expressed strong reservations about her latest appointment, particularly considering an internal inquiry that flagged irregularities under her leadership when she was responsible for Primary Health Care.

Despite this resistance, the government still proceeded with the nomination.

Health Ministry sources indicated that external pressure, including from relatives of Camilleri, played a role in the decision.

Camilleri’s appointment comes shortly after she was quietly reinstated to her role within the national mental health services. Her return followed the dropping of a police investigation linked to alleged mismanagement and procurement irregularities during the refurbishment of two health centres.

The Health Ministry, led by Jo Etienne Abela, has not publicly explained either the decision to reinstate Camilleri or the outcome of the investigation. When asked for clarification, ministry representatives declined to comment.

Camilleri had told The Shift that she had been cleared but did not explain further.

“All charges against me were dropped, and I have nothing else to add,” she said.

Her suspension last May followed a still-unpublished internal inquiry into the refurbishment of the Qormi and Birkirkara health centres.

The report, compiled under the now-retired Permanent Secretary Joseph Chetcuti, alleged serious breaches, including the extensive use of direct orders that significantly inflated project costs.

Originally budgeted at a few hundred thousand euro, the projects reportedly escalated into multi-million euro expenditures. Much of the work was repeatedly awarded through direct orders to GM Developments Ltd, a company owned by businessman Simon Grech, known to have secured multiple government contracts in the health sector.

Camilleri and former Primary Health Care CFO Alfred Farrugia denied wrongdoing.

Camilleri acknowledged signing off on direct orders but argued that responsibility lay with subordinate officials who failed to flag irregularities.

The inquiry report was forwarded to the police for possible criminal action, but authorities have not taken any further steps since.

Camilleri is married to Anthony Debono, a former CEO of Telemalta with longstanding political connections in both major parties.

Sources said the government had initially planned to appoint her ambassador months earlier, but paused the process when news of the investigation emerged.

With the case now closed, her nomination has been revived and confirmed despite lingering concerns within top officials of the Labour administration.