Updated - Malta Enterprise lists qualifications as PN calls appointment for minister's wife 'height of nepotism' - PN

Updated - Adds Labour statement - PN Deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami said this afternoon that the appointment of a the Energy minister's wife as an investment envoy for Malta Enterprise in Asia was the height of nepotism. In a statement issued shortly after, Malta Enterprise defended the appointment and listed Mrs Sai Mizzi's qualifications. Speaking at a press conference outside the Malta Enterprise offices in Guardamangia, Dr Fenech Adami said this was a position that had been created specifically for the wife of Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi, who is Asian. No call for applications was made, he noted, adding that the only criterion for Mrs Mizzi's appointment appeared to be that she spoke Chinese. Political responsibility, Dr Fenech Adami said, rested on the prime minister, because what had taken place was in sharp contrast to his promises of meritocracy, transparency and good governance. The opposition, he said, was expecting clear explanations from the government on  the nature of the appointment and conditions of employment, including salary. The Times of Malta reported today that Mrs Mizzi will be operating from an office in Shanghai on a basic salary of €40,000 apart from...