Melvin Theuma’s ‘fixer’ given new government job, facing criminal charges

Rabat mayor Sandro Craus, facing criminal charges in connection with the phantom job given to the middleman in a journalist’s murder, was given a job with government agency Projects Plus Ltd that includes a generous package and safeguards if fired, The Shift can reveal following a Freedom of Information request.

Craus, who served as chief customer care officer at the OPM in the private secretariat of disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat between 2013 and 2020, resigned soon after Robert Abela became prime minister.

When questioned at the time, he said he was going on “gardening leave” and did not know what to do after that.

Now, The Shift can reveal that a mere few weeks later, Craus was given a job as ‘Chief Officer Business Development ‘ at Projects Plus Ltd, a small government company handling project management for public projects.

Craus was given an indefinite contract with a financial package of over €65,000 a year, the Freedom of Information request confirms.

His contract states that his €53,000 basic salary is topped with a performance bonus, a fully expensed car and communication and expense allowances.

Since Craus is also a Labour party activist, primarily leading the Rabat local council, where he is known to spend most of his days, his contract does not specify any fixed time when he should attend his place of work and does not even mention a location where he is supposed to do the job for which taxpayers so generously pay him.

Neither does his contract include a specific job description, with Projects Plus Ltd keeping his role as vague as possible:

“The functions and duties of the employee shall be those laid down by the company from time to time as the employer deems appropriate,” the contract states.

The contract also includes unique conditions seemingly designed for him and which employment lawyers consulted by The Shift deemed to be “unusual”.

It states that if the government decides to terminate his contract for reasons not listed, such as misconduct or redundancy, the government agency is bound to pay Craus the salary plus all allowances covering five years.

Moreover, it adds that “if the employee has been employed with the company for more than five years, the company must be obliged to pay the employee 10 years’ salaries plus all the allowances from the month of termination onwards.”

His contract was signed by CEO James Camenzuli, appointed by disgraced former minister Konrad Mizzi, who has been banned from travel to the US on orders of the Secretary of State based on “credible information that Mizzi and [Keith] Schembri were involved in a corrupt scheme”.

According to established rules, any government employee undergoing criminal proceedings is automatically suspended and put on half-pay. It is unclear whether this has happened in his case.

Melvin Theuma told the police that Craus had called him for a meeting at the OPM shortly after the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and offered him a government job. Theuma also admitted that he never turned up for work even though he was receiving a government salary.

Craus, 54, is facing criminal charges with his former boss Keith Schembri – the former prime minister’s chief of staff (also banned from travel to the US) – on theft and misappropriation of funds when handing Theuma a phantom government job.

As chief customer care officer at the OPM in Muscat’s time, Craus’ main job was to dish out favours to Labour Party supporters through the so-called customer care office.

Summoned to appear before the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry in November 2020, Craus told the board that he did not recall whether he was the one who took the picture of Theuma with Schembri at the OPM (above).

He also claimed he did not know, at the time, who Theuma was and why he was given a phantom job with the government.