A St Paul’s Bay local councillor has been given the position of public works supervisor after a tendering process, sparking claims of conflict of interest at a council meeting yesterday.

The councillor, Jason Camilleri, was elected on the Labour ticket last March and announced that, having won the tender, he would now submit his resignation.

He was awarded the contract despite having submitted the highest bid, €17,900. The lowest bid of the top three considered was €15,500.

Mr Camilleri left the council table during the announcement of the tender results, which is standard practice in situations of conflicting interests. He sat at another table some five feet away.

Several councillors voiced objections to Mr Camilleri’s appointment and the tendering procedure, arguing that he had a conflict of interest. Still, none of them voted against his appointment, while six council members abstained.

Mayor Mario Salerno explained that an adjudication board, composed of council members, had been appointed to oversee the tendering process.

The board awarded each candidate points based on their knowledge of the locality, tender bid and qualification for the role. Mr Camilleri came up trumps in all three categories.

Mr Camilleri said he had not wanted to let his position on the council come between him and a “good opportunity”.

If no councillors file an official protest, he will oversee all public works and maintenance in the locality.

After the meeting he said he could not understand why several council members had “turned against” his tender submission after appearing to support it.