The decision to forbid disgraced former Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo from contesting the general election has been taken by Prime Minister Robert Abela against the advice of his Deputy Leader Alex Agius Saliba, who insisted that Bartolo should contest the election despite pending investigations related to alleged money laundering and corruption.
Clayton Bartolo’s faction within the Labour Party is accusing the Prime Minister of appeasing Minister Jonathan Attard, further exposing internal divisions within the party. The Labour Party is also expected to field Deborah Schembri in the same district, adding to the political tension surrounding candidate selection.
Clayton Bartolo was forced to resign after details emerged about a fraudulent €70,000 consultancy contract awarded to his wife, Amanda Muscat, by the Ministry for Gozo and Planning. Amanda Muscat had worked at the Ministry of Tourism before being transferred to the Gozo Ministry, where she was promoted as a consultant despite allegedly continuing to work for Clayton Bartolo. The contract was condemned by the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life and by the Parliamentary Standards Committee.
The scandal escalated further after reports emerged that Amanda Muscat was also being investigated over an alleged €50,000 payment connected to an MTA client, leading to Bartolo’s dismissal from Cabinet and his removal from the Labour parliamentary group.
Deputy Leader Alex Agius Saliba is one of Joseph Muscat’s allies, and he has consistently defended Labour Party politicians involved in corruption and illicit activities. He is often renowned for taking orthodox and partisan views, whatever they are, lacking any sign of holding strong principles and values other than loyalty to the Labour Party.
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