Ciantar back as government advisor

Aqra bil-Malti

It took Carmen Ciantar only a few weeks to get a new government job following her abrupt removal from her Chief Executive Officer (CEO) post at the Foundation for Medical Services (FMS).

The former chief canvasser of Chris Fearne, given an unprecedented €163,000 financial package at the FMS to oversee health-related public projects, was terminated last March shortly after Jo Etienne Abela took over the health ministry.

Abela asked her to relinquish her post even though she had months to go before her FMS €13,000-a-month contract expired. He replaced her with cardiologist Robert Xuereb.

Cianter grabbed another government position thanks to Family Affairs Minister Michael Falzon. Through a new position of trust, Falzon recruited Ciantar as his consultant to advise him on one of the companies falling under his remit – Social Innovation Projects Management Ltd.

The low-key company, established to provide project management for building projects related to the ministry, is led by Richard Dimech, a former personal assistant to the minister.

It is unclear what the company has achieved, as it appears dormant.

As the minister’s advisor, Carmen Ciantar was given a new financial package of some €50,000 a year. She does not need to be physically present at any ministry office. She can also conduct private work, even in areas that overlap with her ministry work, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest.

Ciantar, a veteran activist in the Labour Party, has been given several lucrative jobs since Labour returned to power in 2013.

Apart from serving on several government boards, Ciantar was appointed CEO of ARMS Ltd. when she acted as disgraced former minister Konrad Mizzi’s canvasser.

In 2017, she switched allegiance to Chris Fearne, who was competing in the same district as Mizzi. She helped him during the 2017 general elections and, later, in his campaign for Labour Party Deputy Leader.

Fearne appointed Ciantar in the top post at the FMS with a financial package of €163,000 a year. The Auditor General’s investigation concluded the contract was irregular.

When Robert Abela became prime minister in 2020, Fearne was ordered to modify his chief canvasser’s contract and curtail her remuneration. Yet this did not happen.

As soon as Fearne was removed from the health ministry, Ciantar’s employment at FMS was terminated.