Francois Piccione, the 31-year-old childhood friend of Economy Minister Silvio Schembri, has been given a new public appointment over and above his €101,000-a-year position as Deputy Chief Executive at INDIS Malta.

Questioned in Parliament by Opposition MP Rebekah Borg, Schembri confirmed that he has appointed Piccione to the chairmanship of the Malta Crafts Foundation, a government that, as the name suggests, promotes traditional crafts.

Qualifying his answer, Schembri stressed that Piccione’s latest appointment was merely “temporary” but underlined that he is not receiving any extra remuneration for his new role.

The promotion of traditional crafts, until a few years ago, fell under the remit of Malta Enterprise and INDIS Malta.

The creation of the new foundation is in line with the current practice of turning units under both government agencies into fully-fledged and supposedly independent agencies and foundations, which is providing opportunities to put more friends and collaborators on the state payroll.

Sources at INDIS Malta have informed The Shift that Piccione’s latest appointment has continued to consolidate Schembri’s tight control over the agencies under his remit, through which jobs and favours and being given out in exchange for votes.

Piccione, who, like, Schembri, hails from from Luqa, has been on Schembri’s payroll since he graduated from university and is considered to be one of the minister’s closest canvassers together with notary Jean Pierre Attard. The latter was recently appointed by Schembri as INDIS Malta chairman and CEO.

The agency is currently in the process of evaluating multimillion-euro framework contracts for public projects being undertaken at various industrial estates including the construction of new factories.

This process is being closely followed by the minister and his two main canvassers since it will determine who will be awarded the highly lucrative projects over the next four years of the current legislature.

The Shift has reported how INDIS Malta is turning a blind eye to enforcement issues at a number of public properties that are meant to be utilised for manufacturing purposes but are instead being converted into storage warehouses and other businesses that are sub-leased to third parties. Such transfers are illegal but no real action is being taken.