Mario Azzopardi, pictured with Joseph Muscat, is a director of a four-star hotel owned by a joint venture between the Maltese government and a Libyan investment company.

A ministry chief of staff has been appointed as a State representative on the board of directors of a four-star hotel owned by a Maltese-Libyan joint venture.

Mario Azzopardi, who also owns a boutique in Birkirkara, was nominated as a director of Vivaldi Hotel Limited in June 2013 – shortly after his appointment as chief of staff at the Economy Ministry.

In recent weeks, Economy Minister Chris Cardona has come under fire following a number of appointments involving relatives of his chief of staff, most notably an 18-year-old nephew as director of a newly established government security company.

The Economy Minister also has close business links with Mr Azzopardi, with a 25 per cent shareholding in a company (Sapmac Limited) in which he is a director. Operators in the tourism industry who spoke anonymously with this newspaper questioned Mr Azzopardi’s credentials to serve as a director of a company running the 263-room hotel in Paceville.

I find it very hard to believe he was the best candidate for the post

“I find it very hard to believe he was the best candidate for the post, as his experience in the sector is close to non-existent,” a hotel operator said. An Economy Ministry spokesman told The Sunday Times of Malta that Mr Azzopardi had been appointed by the board of directors of the Libyan Arab Maltese Holding Co. Ltd – a joint venture between the Maltese government and the Libyan Foreign Investment Company (LAFICO). He added that the Golden Tulip Vivaldi Hotel was a subsidiary company of this joint venture.

“The government of Malta and LAFICO have equal shareholding and equal members on the board,” he said. However, questions regarding the selection criteria adopted for the appointment of Mr Azzopardi remain unanswered.