Planning Authority hires Musumeci as ‘academic consultant’ to avoid his conflict of interest

The Planning Authority (PA) has awarded a consultancy contract to lawyer and architect Robert Musumeci, describing his services as strictly “academic” — a move widely interpreted as an attempt to pre-empt potential legal challenges over conflicts of interest.

The consultancy agreement, signed in April and obtained by The Shift through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, refers to Musumeci as the PA’s “academic consultant,” despite the Authority having no formal academic remit. The contract, signed by PA Chief Executive Johann Buttigieg, specifies that Musumeci’s work is based on his “academic expertise and research.”

In written correspondence, the PA stressed that Musumeci’s advisory role is “entirely separate” from the Authority’s operational and decision-making functions. Insiders suggest the wording was deliberately chosen to ensure Musumeci remains free to represent private clients before both the PA and the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) without legal repercussions.

Sources within the Authority told The Shift that the insistence on defining the consultancy as “academic” reflects internal concerns that the arrangement could later be challenged on grounds of conflict of interest.

Courts have previously annulled planning permits due to conflicts within the approval process. One notable case involved the DB Group’s ITS project, where a PA board member who voted in favour of the development was also selling apartments in the same complex.

Musumeci currently serves as a consultant to the PA while simultaneously practising as an architect and lawyer representing clients before both the PA and the EPRT — a dual role critics argue is inherently conflicted. Legal observers have suggested that, if contested, the consultancy agreement may struggle to withstand judicial scrutiny in the Court of Appeal.

A former Nationalist Party activist and Siggiewi mayor, Musumeci became a prominent supporter of the Labour government following Joseph Muscat’s rise to power in 2013. Since then, he has been awarded a series of consultancy contracts across multiple public entities, including the Lands Authority, planning bodies, and agencies responsible for public property and pensions.

Over the years, Musumeci has built a reputation as a well-connected figure with close ties to senior government officials and major developers seeking favourable planning outcomes. He is also a regular commentator on television programmes produced by the Labour Party and national broadcaster TVM, where he frequently defends government policies and presents himself as an expert in planning law.

An analysis by The Shift found that Musumeci has become one of the country’s most in-demand architects for developments in Outside Development Zones (ODZs). He is also regarded as among the most successful practitioners in overturning planning refusals into approvals.