The Malta Environment and Planning Authority and its audit officer are set for a showdown over the reappointment of his investigating officer.
Last April, audit officer Joe Falzon threatened to resign after the authority's board objected to the re-appointment of Carmel Cacopardo as his investigating officer.
But Mepa is once again resisting Mr Cacopardo's re-appointment and Mr Falzon has reiterated his threat. Speaking to The Times when asked to comment, he said:
"My stand remains the same: If (Mr) Cacopardo is not accepted, I resign."
Mr Falzon's own contract renewal was also a rather complicated affair.
Last April, some two months after his contract expired, his position was confirmed by Environment Minister George Pullicino.
On his reappointment, however, Mr Falzon found himself without a secretary, who was transferred to another section of the authority, and without Mr Cacopardo, whose contract expired last April but was not renewed.
Now the secretary is back and the audit office is effectively up and running.
But Mr Cacopardo's re-appointment remains a sticky issue, which is all the more significant given the importance of the investigating officer since Mr Falzon is engaged as audit officer on a part-time basis.
Mepa chairman Andrew Calleja said the authority "is trying to furnish the audit officer with some options" as an alterative to Mr Cacopardo.
He would not be drawn, however, about why he objects to Mr Cacopardo's re-appointment, insisting that it has nothing to do with the investigating officer's past criticisms of the authority.
Mr Cacopardo has authored a number of reports that have subjected Mepa to severe criticism.
Mr Calleja said: "I simply cannot be presented with a take-it-or-leave-it scenario, so I am trying to offer the auditor some options."
When contacted, the audit officer said that so far, he has not been presented with any alternatives. But he maintains that alternatives are not acceptable to him.
"If they don't want the office to work, it won't work - but I will not play around.
"Mr Cacopardo is totally qualified, knows the relevant legislation extremely well and is able to apply it in his investigations.
"He carries out very thorough research and I can see absolutely no reason to remove him from office," Mr Falzon said.
Tension between the chairman and the audit office surfaced last November at the launch of Mepa's 2006 annual report when Mr Calleja criticised the audit officer for making "sweeping statements" in his criticism of the authority.
Certain unfair criticism by the auditor's office, Mr Calleja had said, had undermined the board's confidence in that office.
The auditor had slammed the chairman directly for attending a meeting between Mepa officials and the developers of the Malta Convention Centre in Ta' Qali when the authority had not yet reached a decision over whether or not to grant permission for the complex to be erected there.