Parliament’s standards committee has unanimously endorsed a report finding that ministers Clayton Bartolo and Clint Camilleri abused their positions by awarding a lucrative consultancy role to Bartolo’s then-girlfriend. The committee – which includes two Labour MPs and the Speaker, as well as two Nationalist MPs, will meet on 27 November to decide on sanctions, which could include an apology, repayment of misused funds, or referral to the House for action. Both ministers may submit their positions beforehand. The report revealed that Amanda Muscat, Bartolo’s former private secretary, was promoted in 2020 to tourism minister consultant with a €62,000 salary and later to Gozo minister consultant, earning €68,000. Speaker Anglu Farrugia suggested reclaiming funds for unperformed work.
32% increase in students registering for Ethics exam
The number of students registering for the O-level exam in ethics has risen dramatically, increasing by 32% between 2023 and 2024, with 738 candidates opting for the subject. Official statistics reveal a consistent upward trend in ethics enrolments since 2018, when only 38 students first sat for the exam. Currently, ethics is offered exclusively to students whose parents opt out of Catholic Religious Education (CRE). However, a new National Strategy for Education proposes making ethics an additional option for CRE students starting in Year 9 (age 13), allowing them to study both subjects simultaneously. Some independent schools have already taken this a step further, offering ethics and religion in parallel to all students, including those in early years. (Independent)
Experts need a year to unlock Muscat’s iPhone after former PM refuses to share password
Experts will require almost a year to unlock Joseph Muscat’s phone and examine its contents as part of the Vitals inquiry, a court heard on Thursday. Court expert Keith Cutajar testified during proceedings against Muscat, former chief of staff Keith Schembri, former minister Konrad Mizzi, and others linked to the Vitals hospitals concession. The concession, granted during Muscat’s tenure, was later annulled by the courts. The defendants face charges of money laundering, corruption and bribery. During the session, several witnesses presented banking records related to the accused. Cutajar updated the court on his efforts to unlock Muscat’s iPhone 12, a task assigned to him at the start of the inquiry. Progress was temporarily halted when he was instructed to submit the phone to the court as part of the case evidence. He resumed the extraction process on September 23 of this year. (Times of Malta)
