Updated 4.29pm with official announcement

Former Labour Party CEO James Piscopo has been appointed Chief Executive of the Lands Authority, despite earlier denials by Transport Minister Ian Borg.

Sources close to Transport Malta told Times of Malta that Mr Piscopo informed staff that he will be relinquishing his post of executive chairman at the state transport entity as he will be moving to the Lands Authority.

Media speculation about Mr Piscopo’s future has been doing the rounds for weeks, with the Transport Minister categorically denying that Mr Piscopo would become the new Lands Authority CEO.

He insisted in parliament that the new Lands Authority head would only be selected following a public call.

According to government sources, Mr Piscopo had applied for the post and placed first in an interview held by state officials last week.

Apart from acting as TM executive chairman, in 2016 Mr Piscopo had also set up a private business venture through a management company named Undecim Five Investments Ltd in which he is the sole director.

The company was registered by accountant Robert Borg, the financial controller of the General Workers Union and for some time company secretary of Transport Malta under Mr Piscopo’s helm.

The government had said that it did not see any conflict of interest in Mr Piscopo’s private business interests as “what he was doing had nothing to do with Transport Malta”.

In an official statement confirming the appointment, the government said the deputy chairman of Transport Malta, Kevin Farrugia, will be assuming the chairmanship position, until the Minister for Transport nominated the new chairman. The appointment will go through a parliamentary process.

The Ministry for Transport thanked Mr Piscopo for his work and congratulated him  for his new role.