The corruption allegation was a joke, but the former MCAST executive may still be on the payroll

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Education Minister Justyne Caruana refuses to say whether a former MCAST human resources manager, whose corruption allegations were refuted by a ministerial inquiry, is still receiving a full salary since his suspension in 2018.

Last week, MaltaToday revealed details of an investigation in which whistleblowers said Joséphine Abdilla – whose allegations sparked the investigation – tried to pressure and influence their selection of recruiting teachers. Abdilla has denied the allegations.

Insulted by staff and teachers for her abrasive and bribing behavior, Abdilla alleged the corruption and bribery at the heart of MCAST’s operations in an angry email to the Education Ministry, when she was put on forced leave following complaints against her by colleagues.

Still, the former human resources manager was unable to provide evidence for her allegations.

In new revelations of the investigation’s findings, it turns out that Abdilla alleged that then MCAST Chairman of the Board of Governors, Silvio De Bono, requested a month’s salary as a commission from the MCAST recruits.

She claimed that despite being “so upset by the practice”, she apparently appeased Debono by having her own daughter take a class at Debono’s private educational institute, IDEA, for which she paid. € 500.

De Bono was taken aback by the prosecution, when he testified before the board of inquiry, saying he felt he had a good working relationship with Abdilla.

He denied that he demanded such a “commission” from MCAST staff.

Yet Abdilla offered neither evidence for this allegation, nor a valid reason for his apparent tendency to “force” his daughter to take an IDEA course.

When asked to provide evidence for his claim, Abdilla then retracted the serious accusation. “It’s a joke,” she told the inquest, denying that De Bono accepted such a bribe.

The investigation concluded, in its findings, that Abdilla had attempted, for reasons she knows, to create traces of a crime that never took place.

Asked to comment on those findings this week, Abdilla told MaltaToday that she had not read the findings of the investigation report and refrained from commenting on how her testimony was reported.

“I maintain my answer in the right of reply last Sunday” (Letters, MT2, page 3). “I deny any joking on my part about it,” she said when asked about her allegation about De Bono.

“The right of reply is sufficient to respond to most of the points on which you asked for my comments.

In another finding of the investigation, it turned out that Abdilla had made malicious allegations about a certain Anthony Saliba, an MCAST grievance officer to whom she had been reported by colleagues.

Abdilla claimed that Saliba was involved in a series of irregularities that took place during a stay at Pathway in 2017, a program designed for students with learning disabilities. The program was investigated internally at the college in 2017 after a whistleblower complained that Pathway teaching assistants had brought their boyfriends to the residence.

The same whistleblower, however, told the commission of inquiry that Anthony Saliba was a stranger to these events.

Asked about this allegation by MaltaToday, Abdilla claimed that she had made no such assertion about him. “If it’s been flagged as such, it’s not something under my control. ”

Abdilla was also unable to support his claim to the board of inquiry that full-time lecturers were paid in full despite reduced working hours, another charge that fell flat when the commission investigation asked him to support this claim.

Abdilla also declined to clarify her current employment status with MCAST and whether she is still receiving full pay while on forced leave from college. “Regarding payroll matters, I suggest you direct your questions to the ministry or consult the NAO audit reports on payroll matters.

Survey results

Last week, MaltaToday reported how whistleblowers presented themselves to the 2018 ministerial commission of inquiry, claiming they had been pressured by Abdilla to select the preferred candidates for MCAST teaching positions. .

The investigation forwarded its report to the police for investigation.

Yet the Ministry of Education – namely spokesperson Etienne St John, Permanent Secretary Frank Fabri and MCAST director James Calleja – has refused since February 2021 to respond to repeated requests from MaltaToday to explain why Abdilla remains suspended. at full pay, despite the findings of the investigation.

The ministry wishes not to comment on this investigation, which pointed out a possible perjury to Abdilla.

Abdilla would claim to these members of the MCAST interview panel that she had been tasked by senior officials such as the ministry or Silvio de Bono, to select the candidates of her choice. In one case, she complained that an unqualified candidate for a part-time teaching position had not been selected, “had to be selected at all costs”.

In the case of a particular candidate for an English teacher post, Abdila ordered one of the members that the candidate should ‘come first’ and that the rest of the interview panel should be informed that the candidate was “highly recommended”.

Simultaneously, the investigation uncovered a culture of intimidation and harassment, mainly perpetrated by Abdilla herself in her own position of power, who was described by her colleagues as a “vindictive, power-hungry” person who had favored a “fear mentality” among the MCAST administration.

Staff even accused Abdilla of instigating his subordinates to commit irregularities in recruitment, discriminatory practices and even falsifying the tally sheets of candidates interviewed for positions.

The investigation found that it was Abdilla’s “very weak, almost non-existent” collaboration between his human resources department and the finance department that led to a labor dispute over incorrect salaries paid to 186 teachers.

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