Galdes left in political limbo as ministers refuse to take him back

Former Housing Minister Roderick Galdes has been left politically isolated and is struggling to secure a return to government despite remaining on the public payroll, a situation that government sources say has fuelled his first public attack on Robert Abela’s administration since his dramatic downfall earlier this year, The Shift can reveal.

Galdes, who resigned as Minister for Affordable Accommodation in January amid a series of scandals and was later blocked by Labour’s executive from contesting the general election, recently broke his silence by publicly endorsing criticism of the government’s handling of Malta’s electricity crisis.

In an uncharacteristic social media intervention, Galdes argued that governments should stop managing by crisis and instead engage in proper long-term planning, effectively joining criticism that the country’s energy failures were the result of years of poor preparation, particularly by his former Cabinet colleague, Miriam Dalli.

Multiple government sources told The Shift that the intervention was not simply about the electricity crisis.

The Shift is informed that Galdes has spent the past months trying to re-establish himself within the public administration, but has encountered resistance wherever he has sought a role.

Strictly speaking, Galdes remains a government employee.

Before entering frontline politics and later the Cabinet, he worked as an official at the Planning Authority and, following his resignation from politics, was expected to return to that position.

That has not happened.

According to sources, both the minister politically responsible for the Planning Authority, Jonathan Attard, and the authority’s Chief Executive, Johann Buttigieg, have made it clear that Galdes is not welcome back, effectively blocking his return.

The resistance, sources said, extends well beyond the Planning Authority.

Galdes is understood to have expressed a desire to return to government in a senior executive capacity, preferably as the chief executive of a government agency carrying a lucrative financial package.

Yet his efforts have so far been unsuccessful.

Government sources said no Cabinet minister is willing to take political responsibility for appointing Galdes to a senior public role, considering him a political liability following the scandals that forced his resignation from Cabinet.

Prime Minister Robert Abela is understood to have explored possible options for Galdes, including attempting to persuade Education and Sport Minister Byron Camilleri to accommodate him within one of the agencies falling under his ministry.

However, according to sources familiar with the discussions, Byron Camilleri has resisted those efforts, as have the other ministers approached about the possibility.

The result is that Galdes has effectively been left in political limbo, unable to return to his previous role and equally unable to secure a new senior appointment elsewhere in government.

Government insiders believe this growing frustration explains his latest public criticism of the Labour administration, interpreting it as an attempt to increase pressure on the Prime Minister to find him a suitable position after months on the sidelines.

Galdes’s political fortunes changed dramatically in January when he resigned from Cabinet following a succession of allegations and controversies.

Among the issues that dogged his final months in office were allegations by former Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi concerning alleged interference in the affairs of Malita Investments and his close connections to certain contractors; scrutiny surrounding his purchase of a Gozo penthouse from developer Joseph Portelli at what critics described as a bargain price; questions over family links to contractors involved in government social housing projects; and criticism over the handling of a condemned residential block in Birgu before it collapsed.

Galdes repeatedly denied wrongdoing and insisted he had acted properly. However, the former Qormi mayor has inexplicably managed to increase his personal wealth and property portfolio while in office, despite drawing only a ministerial salary.

The scandals, most of them unveiled by The Shift, proved politically fatal.

In an unprecedented move, Labour’s National Executive subsequently blocked him from contesting the 2026 general election through a secret vote. Although Galdes initially challenged the decision internally, he later withdrew his appeal and abandoned his bid to seek re-election.

Meanwhile, police investigations into the matters surrounding Galdes are understood to be ongoing. To date, however, no criminal charges have been brought against the former minister.