The Lands Authority has told the Times of Malta that it needs more time to provide a copy of the engagement contract of its CEO and his declaration of assets submitted last July.

Although Mr Piscopo was engaged to head the State entity more than five months ago, the authority replied to a Freedom of Information request by asking for more time.

“Please note that more time is needed to gather the requested information,” was the authority’s terse reply, one month after the official request was submitted.

The Lands Authority informed Times of Malta that in order to gather the requested information, which also includes a copy for the code of ethics established in 2017 upon the enactment of the authority’s law, it needed another 20 working days.

Read: Transport Minister silent on Piscopo’s business interests

The request was made after both Mr Piscopo and the authority board repeatedly ignored requests by Times of Malta for the new CEO’s declaration of assets. According to law, Mr Piscopo was obliged to present his declaration to the authority board, chaired by Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco since his appointment last July.

Last month, the Times of Malta reported that Mr Piscopo was involved in private businesses together with Edward Zammit Tabona, shareholder of a multi-million project at the former Fortina Hotel while the authority was negotiating on the same project.

Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco admitted that his board was only made aware of this one day after Times of Malta sent Mr Piscopo questions on the subject.

However, when asked whether Mr Piscopo had declared his shareholding in private entities in his declaration of assets, the authority chairman did not reply.

On his part, while admitting that he was a shareholder in two companies with the Zammit Tabonas, Mr Piscopo said that he had started the process of divesting his shares to eliminate any “perceived conflict of interest”.

Mr Piscopo, a former CEO of the Labour Party and a member of Joseph Muscat’s leadership campaign team, was made executive chairman of Transport Malta days after Labour was returned to power in March 2013.

He resigned from the post last summer after his selection as CEO of the Lands Authority.

Transport Minister Ian Borg refused to reply to questions on whether Mr Piscopo’s conflict of interest was in breach of the authority law.

 

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