So far, Robert Abela got away with everything: squatting a government’s property whilst using it as his office, earning lucrative government contracts out of nepotism which provide no value whatsoever, and also having a serious conflict of interest by aiding developers and speculators getting development permits while he was the same lawyer for the development regulator issuing the same permits. We have never had in history a Prime Minister with such extensive baggage of past rent-seeking practices and to make it even worse: he was a government-paid lawyer.
There is more. He also entered into deals with the individuals applying for development permits, also all the while he was a government lawyer to the Planning Authority. Apparently, one of the deals he made was with an alleged criminal and fraudster in which he pocketed €45,000 from a share of land he bought from this alleged criminal and which he sold again as soon as this alleged criminal got his permits in hand to develop the land. This is prima facie evidence that Prime Minister Robert Abela was paid a bribe in exchange for a development permit.
So, the question that should be asked is this. Is €45,000 the standard payment bribe for a development permit?
No wonder Robert Abela strongly defended the previous Planning Authority chief, Johann Buttigieg over his irregular conversations with Yorgen Fenech soliciting to do business with him.
Like Johann, there are probably other individuals who know more about Robert, and also like Johann these people are getting paid by the government.
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