Cacopardo files judicial protest against Mepa

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority's former investigating officer, Carmel Cacopardo, has filed a judicial protest against the environment/planning watchdog and its chairman over their resistance to renew his contract with Mepa's audit office.

Referring to a letter published last Monday by Mepa, in which its chairman, Andrew Calleja, reveals the objections to his re-appointment, the protest says that some of the claims made by the authority in its letter breach Mr Cacopardo's fundamental human rights.

In particular, Mr Cacopardo referred to the chairman's objection to certain articles critical of the authority which Mr Cacopardo had written and the fact that he had chaired a political meeting organised by Alternattiva Demokratika dealing with the authority.

Mr Cacopardo insisted that both in his articles and in the activity in question, he had done nothing but contribute to a discussion aimed at improving Mepa's operations and the way the environment is treated.

The real reasons behind Mepa's resistance to his reappointment, Mr Cacopardo said in the protest, are not so much the ones it has made publicly but rather the fact that his work has highlighted the authority's deficiencies.

More specifically, he mentioned the fact that in one of the reports he had drawn up as part of his duties he had criticised the chairman himself.

The protest is also directed at the Environment Minister, the permanent secretary within the same ministry and the Attorney General, with Mr Cacopardo saying that none of them disassociated themselves from the statements made by Mepa in his regard.