A government employee, who also describes himself as “self-employed”, owns private businesses that have received public contracts from his employer, the Gozo Ministry, and a minister he lobbied for during the general elections.
Jeffrey Farrugia, also president of the football club Xewkija Tigers, is employed by the Gozo Ministry as a full-time foreman. He also owns a private company, Be Clean Ltd, which received a €436,000 contract to provide cleaning services at the same ministry, official records show.
During the same year, Farrugia’s same company was awarded another contract by another Gozo minister – Anton Refalo’s Agriculture and Fisheries ministry. The contract was worth €300,000 and foresaw the management of fisheries facilities in Mgarr, Marsalforn and Xlendi in Gozo.
Farrugia has also publicly canvassed for Refalo. The Shift asked Refalo about any personal or political association with Farrugia, to which he replied that there was none.
Jeffrey Farrugia promoting Minister Anton Refalo on his Facebook page while describing himself as as self-employed.
The Shift asked Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri to state where exactly Farrugia works as a foreman within the Gozo ministry, but he did not reply to questions.
Sources who spoke to The Shift on condition of anonymity said that “conveniently, foreman Farrugia has been assigned by the ministry to take care of the sports facilities (ground) of the Xewkija Tigers, of which he is also the president”. They described Farrugia’s posting as “another phantom job among the many we have in Gozo”.
They confirmed that Farrugia is often seen tending to his many private businesses during the day, including a construction company (C&F Manufacturing Ltd) he owns with another partner, the cleaning and fisheries companies he is managing as per government tender, and Anfield Catering Ltd, among others.
The latter manages the Liverpool FC supporters club and the Universal Sports Bar and Grill, both in Gozo.
Government employees are supposed to inform their employer and get permission for any private business they conduct and are expected to avoid any potential or actual conflicts of interest.
Xi hmieg! X ma ikollux construction company w jkollu s sahha jibni l kruha! Daqshekk ghajnuna! Pajjiz marid u hmieg galor!! Ma baqax misthija!., mur ivvota ja gahna!
The trough must be huge surely JP must have a tender in to build a multi storey trough as there seems to be far to many heads in the old one?
F’Ghawdex hemm sidien ta’ restoranti mpjegati mall-gvern. Impjiegi fazulli bl-addocc.
Sidien ta Restoranti bil beach cleaners waiters. IMMA DAK MHUX BISS. Il haddiema tal gvern u tal iskema ma jaghmlux siegha xoghol u jmorru jaghmlu kull tip ta xoghol li jezisti. Jiehdu xoghol ta self employed regolarizzati.
Ezatt. U biex taxxaq, issib xi uhud minn dawn il haddiema tal gvern li ghax jahdmu siegha f’gurnata, jipretendu li ghandhom id dritt bil wicc vili kollu, li ma jahdmux ghal bqija tal gurnata. U dawk li jahdmu mid dar, bi zkuza ta teleworking (min zmien il covid), bil kemm kienu jahdmu siegha mil-ufficju ahseb u ara mid dar!
Just another day in Mafialand.
Gozo has been turned in a MAFIA Republic by the Labour Corrupt Government.
Need a break
X’gharukaza, pastazata wahda wara l-ohra
Nofs ghawdex impjegat taparsi mal gvern li kwazi Hadd ma jghamel minuta xoghol. U meta forsi jghamlu gurnata xoghol ghax ma ikunx hemm ghazla ohra jiehdu xi gimgha off u ma tkunx leave just kemm ma imorrux ghax xoghol! Biex jghamlu 3 metri bankina jghamlu xhar shih kwarta kull filghodu. Issa taf meta imorru ghax xoghol meta ikun hemm il party tal.milied u imur il ministru biex kullhadd jidher! Imbaghad tkun self employed inti tghati stima u tkun gholi ghax trid tahseb ghal bolla u it taxxa u imbaghad immur xi wiehed mind dawn li jahdmu mal gvern u ghandu il bolla lesta imhalsa mil job tal gvern u it taxxa bye bye ghax qieghed imnizel li jahdem full time mal gvern.