Former Labour journalist Julia Farrugia has been given a post within a new government entity whose remit will be to coordinate initiatives to attract foreign investment to Malta.

No official announcement was made on her appointment and the presence of Ms Farrugia as part of the official delegation accompanying Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in the UK has raised eyebrows.

A government spokesman yesterday told Times of Malta that Ms Farrugia was representing a new entity called Project Malta.

He added that she did not accompany the Prime Minister for the second part of his trip in Scotland but was only present for the engagements with the business community and prospective investors.

When contacted, Ms Farrugia said she was part of the government’s structures through Projects Malta and had been appointed to the role of “communications and stakeholder coordination”.

“I was in London for one day for meetings and later joined the delegation for a meeting with the Royal Commonwealth Society,” she said.

The spokesman said: “This is a new umbrella organisation unveiled recently by the Prime Minister. It will incorporate various new entities each focusing on particular aspects such as Trade Malta, Property Malta and others which will be unveiled in the coming weeks.”

He specified that the aim was to have a more holistic approach as, at the present moment, investment was being addressed in a fragmented manner.

At the same time Maltese businesses seeking to enter new foreign markets would be assisted by Trade Malta, the spokesman said.

“The organisational structure of Project Malta has not been decided yet, but what I can tell you is that Ms Farrugia was doing some ground work for this new entity,” the spokesman said in reply to further questioning.

He added that he was not in a position to say who would be heading this organisation.

“I will ask her but I have my doubt whether the roles at Project Malta have already been defined.”