On May 18, 2015, Minister George Vella appointed Jean Claude Galea Mallia as Honorary Consul to Ghana. Two years later, as revealed in a report by the Commissioner for Standards, Trade Malta CEO Anton Buttigieg was desperately asking: “Did anyone carry out any serious due diligence prior to his appointment?” Buttigieg was in Ghana to prepare for a delegation led by President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca. He met the consul, who introduced Aaron Galea as his business partner. Galea struck Buttigieg as “potentially a shady character” whose presence could embarrass Malta, according to correspondence annexed in the commissioner’s report. A quick internet search revealed Galea was a wanted man. The Maltese police had issued arrest warrants against him for a €1 million fraud from an unlicensed investment scheme. The consul had known Galea for years. In 2009, Galea had given the consul a job in his company. The consul knew Galea was involved in a property deal “gone wrong” in Bulgaria. But he “didn’t give it much importance”. Later the consul opened his own company. He admitted that Galea “did assist me on a number of occasions”. In 2017, the consul invited Galea to a business delegation...