With reference to incorrect statements being made about the case of alleged money laundering brought before the Court yesterday, the Government clarifies that:
Mr. Aldo Cutajar, entered the public service for the first time in 1989;
In 2004, when he was a Senior Principal in the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, Mr Aldo Cutajar was brought before the Court on charges of misappropriation of funds, among others;
On 2 February 2005, Mr Aldo Cutajar pleaded guilty to the charges against him and was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for four years, with a perpetual ban;
On 22 April 2005, the Magistrates’ Court decided to lift the perpetual ban it had granted on 2 February 2005;
The Public Service Commission investigated the case in accordance with the rules in the public service and on 16 June 2005 recommended that the ban imposed on Mr Aldo Cutajar be lifted as stated by the Court. The Commission said that the person in question should lose the salary withheld during the suspension and be given a warning;
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi agreed to this recommendation and signed it on 1 July 2005;
Subsequently, Mr. Aldo Cutajar worked in various departments under various Ministries;
This means that it is not true that Mr Aldo Cutajar was ever fired from the Government. Therefore, it is also not true that Mr Aldo Cutajar was ever “reinstated” with the Government, much less that he was reinstated with the Government after 2013;
On 17 August 2016, 11 years after the Magistrates’ Court lifted the perpetual ban, Mr Aldo Cutajar was sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was working at the time, to The Maltese Embassy in Beijing. This step was taken after the respective Ministry requested and granted all the necessary clearances from the Security Service;
On 1 March 2018, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent Mr Aldo Cutajar to the Maltese Consulate in Shanghai. This post ended on 7 September 2019.
The Principal Permanent Secretary had no connection with any of the above circumstances.
The Government also refers to the statements of the Principal Permanent Secretary yesterday where he stated that he had no connection with his brother’s operation. The Chief of Civil also wrote to the Commissioner of Police in which he was willing to give access to on any financial matter concerning him today or in the past. As Chief of Civil, he also ordered that disciplinary proceedings be instituted against his brother, without his involvement.
The Government is convinced that the independent institutions will do their job to do justice to those who err in this case, as in any other case.
