‘Il-Ħaċċ’ in trouble again

Jesmond Abela, known as il-Ħaċċ, has been handed a six-match touchline suspension following Hibernians’ opening Premier League football match against Sliema Wanderers earlier this month.

The long-time Labour activist and political canvasser of Minister Chris Bonett was sent off from the technical area during the second half of the match, played at the Tony Bezzina Stadium on 16 August.

The disciplinary sanction was confirmed following a report filed by referee Slobodan Petrović. Abela will now be barred from taking his place on the Hibernians touchline for the club’s next six matches.

The latest disciplinary trouble confirms that Abela remains actively involved in football despite continuing questions about his attendance at his workplace, Infrastructure Malta.

In June, The Shift reported that Abela was allegedly not reporting for work at the government agency, even after being transferred there through Minister Bonett’s intervention.

Multiple Infrastructure Malta sources said employees rarely, if ever, saw him at the agency and were unable to identify the duties he performed, despite his remaining on the public payroll.

Infrastructure Malta CEO Steve Ellul was reportedly informed several times about Abela’s alleged absence but took no disciplinary action or launched an internal investigation. Jonathan Attard, the minister currently responsible for Infrastructure Malta, who also contests the same electoral district as Bonett, similarly failed to take any action.

Abela was transferred to Infrastructure Malta after the government decided to wind down Projects Plus, where he had been employed since 2017 on a salary package exceeding €50,000 a year.

Sources said Bonett intervened to ensure his canvasser retained a place on the public payroll, with the transfer facilitated by Office of the Prime Minister Permanent Secretary Joyce Cassar. Bonett also appointed Abela to the board of directors of Transport Malta.

In 2022, The Shift revealed that Abela had spent more than a year on sick leave from Projects Plus while continuing to attend football matches, travel abroad with Hibernians and assist Bonett’s electoral campaign.

He reportedly still spends most of his time on the government payroll attending to work related to his football club.

No action has ever been taken against Abela.