Minister bans mobile phones from his office

All visitors, including foreign dignitaries, are being asked to hand over their personal mobile phones to a receptionist before entering Foreign Minister George Vella’s office, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt. This procedure, a first for a Maltese ministry, was introduced as soon as Dr Vella took over Palazzo Parisio in Valletta’s Merchants Street after being appointed minister two months ago. Ministry insiders told this newspaper the minister took the step because he wanted to ensure he was not covertly recorded during the course of private conversations, even though officially the ministry is citing “security reasons”. Confirming the new policy, a ministry spokesman said mobile phones are banned only from the minister’s office and not from the rest of the building. The rule is being applied to anybody who enters Dr Vella’s office, irrespective of their position. The ministry spokesman specified that this “security” measure was imposed by Dr Vella and was not government policy. Asked to explain the security threat that a mobile phone could pose to a minister inside his office and not in other offices of the same building, the spokesman said: “It’s up to the minister to...