The Prime Minister distanced himself from a recent controversial promotion at the Lands Authority with a spokesman saying he did not involve himself in its “day-to-day matters”.
Times of Malta reported last week that Carmel Camilleri, a former director for estate management at the now-defunct Lands Department, was appointed acting chief officer at the Lands Authority responsible for the same department he used to manage before the infamous Marco Gaffarena property scandal.
The newspaper was told the promotion was made by CEO James Piscopo and approved by the board of governors despite the Auditor General having named Mr Camilleri as one of the protagonists in the scandal that had led to the resignation of then planning parliamentary secretary Michael Falzon.
When the Auditor General had published his findings, Joseph Muscat had said during a press conference that Dr Falzon and Mr Camilleri had resigned, adding the government would not tolerate any wrongdoing.
Dr Falzon became Family Minister.
Following Mr Camilleri’s appointment, Dr Muscat was asked for his opinion but no reply was forthcoming. A spokesman curtly said: “The Prime Minister does not deal in any way with the day-to-day matters of the Lands Authority.”
Questions sent to both Lands Authority chairman, Judge Lino Farrugia Sacco, and Mr Camilleri remain unanswered.
In a letter to Times of Malta last week, Mr Camilleri said among other things he had always done his job “loyally and diligently” along the years and would continue to discharge his duties responsibly.
In a sworn statement in reaction to the Auditor General’s findings, Mr Camilleri had said he had acted the way he did because he felt threatened and under pressure by Mr Gaffarena and a liaison officer representing Dr Falzon.
He said that before he was interviewed by the Audit Office he had been warned by Clint Scerri, described as Dr Falzon’s representative, not to mention Dr Falzon to the investigators.
“This is why I didn’t say everything because I felt threatened and thought that if I said what Clint (Scerri) used to do I would have ended up in trouble with my bosses,” Mr Camilleri had said.
Times of Malta has so far failed to establish when did Mr Camilleri return to the Lands Authority after his resignation in 2016, on whose instructions was he engaged and in which position. Both Judge Farrugia Sacco and Mr Piscopo failed to tell when asked.
The National Audit Office had established that Mr Gaffarena had acquired €3.4 million in land and cash from the government for the expropriation of half a building in Valletta valued at €900,000.
Mr Camilleri was singled out as one of the main trio of participants that led to “irregularities” in clear breach of the fundamental principles of good governance, transparency and fairness. The other two were Dr Falzon and then director general Ray Camilleri.
Lands Authority sources said Mr Camilleri was promoted without a call for application.
“Lands Authority officials who were never found of having acted incorrectly were not even given the opportunity to apply for this promotion,” the sources noted.