Malita debacle: Galdes’s appointees axed, Carmen Ciantar enters

Almost all government appointees linked to former minister Roderick Galdes have been removed or sidelined from the board of the beleaguered public entity Malita Investments, in what appears to be the latest government attempt to erase Galdes’s influence and turn a page.

With one exception, all directors appointed during Galdes’s tenure were either removed outright or had their roles significantly reduced.

Miguel Borg, the former Bank of Valletta chief officer who resigned shortly after the hospitals/Steward concession scandal erupted, was the only Galdes appointee to survive the clear-out.

Prime Minister Robert Abela, who has now assumed ministerial responsibility for Malita, replaced the outgoing directors with new appointments, including a controversial addition: Labour fundraiser and long-time party militant Carmen Ciantar.

Ciantar has been a recurring figure on the government’s lucrative appointments circuit. Only last year, she was given the dual role of chairperson and CEO of the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA), shortly after hosting meetings with business figures to raise funds for the Labour Party. Her appointment came just months after she was removed as CEO of the Foundation for Medical Services during the tenure of former minister Chris Fearne.

Her time at the FMS, marked by delayed projects, had already generated controversy, particularly over her financial package, valued at around €163,000 annually, while she was also serving as chief canvasser for the then-deputy prime minister.

Meanwhile, Marvin Gaerty, the former tax commissioner, was removed as Malita’s chairman only weeks after his appointment. He has been retained on the board as a non-executive member.

Gaerty was replaced by Roderick Psaila, a former banker turned private business consultant. Psaila is involved in property development and serves on Shoreline’s board, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

Director Victor Carachi, who had held a seat on Malita’s board for years while simultaneously serving as president of the General Workers’ Union, resigned, citing “personal reasons”.

Tania Brown, a former close aide to former finance minister Edward Scicluna, also stepped down. Brown was recently appointed CEO of Trade Malta, a public-private partnership between the government and the Malta Chamber of Commerce.

Further changes were made behind the scenes.

Desiree Cassar, appointed board secretary under Galdes, was removed and replaced by lawyer Mauro Magro, who also works alongside Ciantar at the MCCAA.

Although Abela is now formally the minister responsible for Malita, the entity’s operations – together with the housing portfolio – fall under the remit of parliamentary secretary Andy Ellul, who also oversees the MCCAA.

In recent months, The Shift has reported extensively on Malita’s worsening financial and governance problems. The company has accumulated significant debts and continues to rely on government guarantees to remain solvent, while several of its flagship projects remain stalled or commercially unviable.