Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando to become ambassador for Rwanda

The Shift Team - 03. April. 2025

Dentist Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando is set to become Malta’s ambassador to Rwanda although Malta has close to no diplomatic ties with the East African nation, which is currently on the brink of war.

Pullicino Orlando, a former PN MP turned Labour since the party was set to take the reins of power in 2013, will receive an honorarium as non-resident ambassador.

He already receives a government remuneration of €70,000 per year as the executive chairman of the National Skills Council, a satellite agency falling under the education ministry.

Before that he was appointed Head of the Malta Council for Science and Technology, a position he held for 13 years.

Sources in diplomatic circles have described his appointment as another way for Prime Minister Robert Abela to express gratitude for Pullicino Orlando’s defence of the Labour Party on social media, in posts often far from diplomatic, attacking government opponents.

He retains his current full-time government role while running his dental practice in Żebbuġ.

Pullicino Orlando first gained notoriety in 2008 when he attempted to turn ODZ land in Mistra, a Natura 2000 site, into a club. As a result, he was shunned by the then-PN government and was never given a cabinet position despite being elected from two districts.

Subsequently, he joined Labour and even ran for election on the party’s behalf, but failed to be elected since Labour voters do not consider him as ‘one of their own’.

Yet Pullicino Orlando has remained on the public payroll ever since Labour took power.

His nomination as ambassador will be reviewed by parliament’s public appointments committee in the coming weeks, together with other nominations made by Foreign Minister Ian Borg.

These include Labour candidate Lorna Vassallo for the position of ambassador to Cabo Verde, former Transport Malta CEO Jonathan Borg for Panama, former Xagħra Labour mayor Christian Zammit for Angola, and former Labour International Secretary Marc Vella Bonnici for Iceland.

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Mick

8 months ago

Best place for him!

Guest

Gabi

8 months ago

Dawk cushy jobs, ghidlu lil prim ministru ,mela jghajjar lil haddiem iz zghir. Jaq ta nies.

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Anne R. key

8 months ago

Oink, f…..g Oink!!! This is all Lejber generated bullshit – extra numeration plus the BS of being called “Excellency”!

Guest

Sue

8 months ago

And his daughter has been given the post as PSC Ambassador at PR EU. Well done Ian Borg!

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Lawrence Mifsud

8 months ago

Eeerm, he will be non-resident!

Guest

Lawrence Mifsud

8 months ago

Excellency in what, I ask?

Guest

Manwel

8 months ago

I kindly offer my services as the new Maltese non resident ambassador for Mars.

Guest

Andy

8 months ago

Not a bad place actually, JPO will certainly lower the overall tone.

Guest

Joseph Micallef

8 months ago

… or perhaps non-resident ambassador for those islands in Antartica where only penguins reside but Trump just slammed them with extra tariffs.

Guest

Protolangue

8 months ago

Does JPO know on what planet Rwanda is situated ? Does he know anything about the past, the present, the ethinicities of Rwanda and the web of complexities that characterize the Great Lakes Region ? Does he have any idea of the kind of trade & investment opportunities he can look for in the country ? Paul Kagame will eat him for breakfast the minute he sets foot in Kigali. Why do some people insist on making a laughing stock of themselves and misrepresenting the country in the process ?