Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister (Malta)

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Chief of Staff of Staff
Kap tas-Segretarjat tal-Uffiċċju tal-Prim Ministru
Office of the Prime Minister of Malta
Reports to Prime Minister
Appointer Prime Minister
Website Office of the Prime Minister of Malta

The Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister of Malta, officially called Head of Secretariat of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Malta, is the most senior political appointee in the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta. [1] The chief of staff is appointed by the prime minister as its senior aid. This position acts as the principal advisor to the prime minister and it coordinates the work action of the different departments of the government.

Contents

History

Richard Cachia Caruana occupied the position under Eddie Fenech Adami until his appointment as Permanent Representative of Malta to the European Union. [2] It was worth mentioning that a notorious attempt at assassinating Cachia Caruana was carried out in 1994 when he was stabbed close to his home in Mdina. [3] [4] [5]

The chief of staff to Lawrence Gonzi, Edgar Galea Curmi, was asked to resign by then Leader of the Opposition (Malta), Joseph Muscat, after calling the police commissioner regarding a case involving Cyrus Engerer's father which was feared to be politically motivated. [6] Lawrence Gonzi reiterated that the Galea Curmi did the right thing to ensure that the case was not politically motivated. [7] Galea Curmi was later on claimed to have been earning over the pay grade at the time. [8]

Upon his election as prime minister, Joseph Muscat made Keith Schembri his chief of staff. He was put under scrutiny for originating from a business background. [9] [10] Keith Schembri was reconfirmed as chief of staff further to the 2017 Maltese general election. [11]

Schembri resigned on November 26, 2019. [12] On the same day, his deputy Mark Farrugia was made chief of staff. [13] [14] [15]

Further to Robert Abela's swearing in, economist Clyde Caruana was selected as chief of staff. [16] Upon being co-opted to parliament, Clyde Caruana confirmed that he would keep the post of chief of staff. [17] On November 21, 2020, a cabinet reshuffle was announced by the Prime Minister, handing Clyde Caruana the role of minister of finance and employment. [18] Eventually, news portal Lovin Malta rumoured that Glenn Micallef, a European Union policy advisor to the prime minister, was to replace Clyde Caruana. [19]

List of chiefs of staff

Chief of staffDatesPrime minister
Richard Cachia Caruana 1991 − October 27, 1996 Eddie Fenech Adami
Joseph BorgOctober 28, 1996 − September 6, 1998 Alfred Sant
Richard Cachia CaruanaSeptember 7, 1998 − May 5, 2004 Eddie Fenech Adami
Edgar Galea CurmiMay 6, 2004 − March 10, 2013 Lawrence Gonzi
Keith Schembri March 11, 2013 − November 26, 2019 Joseph Muscat
Mark FarrugiaNovember 26, 2019 − January 12, 2020 Joseph Muscat
Clyde Caruana January 13, 2020 − November 23, 2020 Robert Abela
Glenn MicallefNovember 24, 2020 − Robert Abela

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References

  1. ↑ "Contact Details". opm.gov.mt.
  2. ↑ "Press corner". European Commission - European Commission.
  3. ↑ "When Joseph Muscat's government was ok with immunity to turn state's evidence". Manuel Delia. October 10, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Attempt described as Mafia-style". Times of Malta.
  5. ↑ "[WATCH] Secret Cachia Caruana recording implicated Lawrence Gatt in 1994 attempted murder". MaltaToday.com.mt.
  6. ↑ "Muscat calls for resignation of Gonzi's chief of staff". Times of Malta.
  7. ↑ "PM Would have sacked chief of staff 'had he NOT called police commissioner' - The Malta Independent". www.independent.com.mt.
  8. ↑ "Gonzi's head of secretariat 'was overpaid'". Times of Malta.
  9. ↑ "Should businessmen be in Government positions?". Times of Malta.
  10. ↑ "Another fine mess: the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Keith 'Kasco' Schembri, wins the first two tenders out for supply of paper to the government of Malta". July 2, 2013.
  11. ↑ "[WATCH] Prime Minister announces Cabinet of Ministers". MaltaToday.com.mt.
  12. ↑ "Keith Schembri resigns as Prime Minister's chief of staff". Times of Malta.
  13. ↑ "Mark Farrugia takes over as PM's new chief of staff - The Malta Independent". www.independent.com.mt.
  14. ↑ "Who is Mark Farrugia, the PM's new chief of staff?". Times of Malta.
  15. ↑ "Mark Farrugia - the Prime Minister's new Chief of Staff - TVM News".
  16. ↑ "Clyde Caruana picked for OPM chief of staff".
  17. ↑ "Clyde Caruana says he will retain chief of staff position despite co-option".
  18. ↑ "Clyde Caruana, Miriam Dalli handed cabinet posts as Abela announces reshuffle".
  19. ↑ "Glenn Micallef Will Become the Prime Minister's New Chief of Staff". 21 November 2020.
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