Nicholas Sammut.

Physicist Nicholas Sammut has stepped aside as CEO and deputy chairman of the Malta Council of Science and Technology after almost five years at the council.

Dr Sammut said the decision was motivated by “personal and career reasons”, although Times of Malta is reliably informed that he faces allegations of improper conduct.

Dr Sammut refused to confirm or deny the allegations, instead pointing out that his contract had technically expired last April and that he had offered his resignation following the general election together with other MCST board members.

“Since then I have informed the chairman that I will not be seeking a contract renewal even if a contract is offered to me,” he added.

MCST chairman Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando was similarly taciturn, noting that Dr Sammut had “followed protocol” in tendering his resignation after the March election and had now indicated that he would not be seeking reappointment.

He said he had discussed the situation with Education Minister Evarist Bartolo and would now begin the process of identifying a new CEO for the council.

Dr Pullicino Orlando declined to comment when asked whether he knew of any allegations made in Dr Sammut’s regard.

Times of Malta asked the Education Ministry about Dr Sammut’s sudden departure from the MCST and sought further information about claims that he had behaved inappropriately at the workplace.

No reply was forthcoming at the time of writing, though a source within the ministry confirmed that the allegations existed and said they had played a part in Dr Sammut’s decision to step down.

Dr Sammut is locally known for his work at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, or Cern, in Switzerland. While there, he worked on the Large Hadron Collider as a research engineer.

The St Aloysius-educated physicist is also on the staff at the University’s Department of Microelectronics and Nanoelectronics, where he lectures in digital integrated circuit design.