Updated at 9.54pm

A former army Lieutenant Colonel has been appointed to look after enforcement and compliance at the Environment and Resources Authority. 

Mario Schembri was appointed following a public call for the post of Director of Compliance and Enforcement.

Lieutenant Colonel Schembri (ret’d) is specialised in enforcement and security matters. In 1979, he began his career in enforcement as a Police Officer and reached the rank of police inspector a year later. In 1985, he moved to the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) where during his 27 years of service, he actively took part and led several enforcement operations at sea and on land.

He retired from the AFM in 2011.

He will be responsible for monitoring aspects that are regulated by ERA, promoting compliance with requirements, and subsequently even resorting to enforcement where this becomes necessary.

The remit of the Compliance and Enforcement Directorate spans a number of environmental sectors, such as securing compliance with nature and biodiversity regulations, trade in endangered species and the monitoring of adherance with ERA environmental permits and conditions governing operational activities that have an impact on the environment.

PN says that Schembri was 'inappropriate choice'

The appointment was criticised by the Nationalist Party which said that Mr Schembri had failed to qualify for the Security Services when he was still a member of the Armed Forces, which it said made him an inappropriate choice for the ERA position.

It added that he had appealed the decision but lost the case. Jose Herrera had been his lawyer – now the minister who had appointed him.

Ministry counters PN claim

José Herrera denied in a ministry statement that he had been Mr Schembri’s lawyer, saying this could easily be verified from court records.

He noted that the civil case the PN referred to challenged the procedures adopted by the National Security Authority as Mr Schembri had never been told why he did not pass security clearance and was never given a chance to contest their conclusions.

The government said in a statement that the case was only lost on a technicality and that to this day no one knew why Mr Schembri did not get clearance and was never promoted in the army.

Having said that, the government noted that the Nationalist government had given him a Long and Efficient Service Medal, a period during which he was promoted three times.