Transferred, promoted, still missing: Bonett’s canvasser ‘not reporting for work’ at government agency

The political canvasser handpicked by Transport Minister Chris Bonett for a seat on the Transport Malta board, Jesmond Abela (il–Haċċ), continued to fail to report for work even after being transferred to Infrastructure Malta, according to multiple sources who spoke to The Shift.

Abela was moved to Infrastructure Malta after the government’s plans to wind down Projects Plus threatened to end a cosy arrangement that had kept him on the public payroll since 2017.

Sources told The Shift that when Projects Plus was earmarked for absorption into the newly established Malta Investments and Economic Advisory, Bonett intervened to ensure that Abela would instead be transferred to Infrastructure Malta, an agency that, until the last legislature, fell under his ministerial responsibility.

Abela was subsequently placed in a managerial role, despite not being known to possess the qualifications or experience typically associated with such a position.

Internal sources at Infrastructure Malta informed The Shift that, despite the transfer, Abela still failed to report for work while continuing to receive his government salary. Several employees said they had no idea where Abela was and could not identify any work he was carrying out for the agency.

“No one sees him,” one source said. “People know he is on the books, but nobody knows what he actually does.”

Sources further insisted that Infrastructure Malta CEO Steve Ellul was informed repeatedly that Abela was not attending work. Despite being alerted several times, they said Ellul took no disciplinary action and did not initiate any internal investigation into the matter.

They claimed that Ellul was following instructions from Bonett, who has maintained a close political relationship with il–Haċċ for years.

Ellul did not reply to questions, and efforts to speak to Jesmond Abela proved futile.

Abela’s public sector career has long been associated with political patronage.

A long-time Labour activist from Paola, he worked closely with Bonett during the minister’s earlier involvement in football administration. Il–Haċċ later became one of his most trusted canvassers and electoral organisers.

After working with the Malta Football Association during a period when Bonett served as vice president, Abela was appointed to a senior role at Projects Plus in 2017 by disgraced former minister Konrad Mizzi. The position carried an annual salary package exceeding €50,000.

Despite holding the title of project management specialist, colleagues repeatedly questioned both his qualifications and his contribution to the organisation. Sources told The Shift that he was originally expected to coordinate aspects of the proposed Kordin football complex project, a government initiative announced with considerable fanfare but which made little meaningful progress.

In 2022, The Shift reported that Abela had spent more than a year on sick leave from Projects Plus while continuing to appear regularly as team manager of Hibernians FC.

During the same period, he was seen attending football matches, travelling overseas with the club and actively assisting Bonett’s electoral campaign ahead of the general elections.

At the time, questions were raised about how a government employee declared unfit for work could continue to engage in football and political activities. Shortly after The Shift’s report was published, sources said Abela unexpectedly returned to work, briefly.

The latest information obtained by The Shift indicates that, rather than addressing concerns surrounding Abela’s employment record, government restructuring simply resulted in his transfer to another state entity, where sources claim the same pattern continued. OPM’s Permanent Secretary Joyce Cassar facilitated the move.

Questions persist about Abela’s continued presence on the public payroll, as well as the apparent failure of Infrastructure Malta’s leadership to investigate repeated reports that a manager employed by the agency was not reporting for work.

Infrastructure Malta now falls under the responsibility of Minister Jonathan Attard, who was also elected from the Paola district in the general elections held in May.