Joseph Portelli’s former architect joins Planning Authority board deciding on permits and sanctions

A young architect who used to work full-time for Gozitan developer Joseph Portelli and his associates has been appointed to a Planning Authority Commission responsible for deciding development permits, including the regularisation of illegal works.

Manuela Mercieca Sultana, an architect whose name has appeared on several large-scale developments connected to Portelli, was appointed to the board by the Minister for Gozo and Planning Clint Camilleri.

Her appointment places her in a position to rule on applications similar to those she has worked on in recent years, including projects tied to the powerful development network built by Portelli and his close associates, Mark Agius, known as ‘Ta’ Dirjanu’, Daniel Refalo, Silvan Mizzi and others.

The move once again exposes the tight overlap between Malta’s construction lobby and political decision-making structures.

Mercieca Sultana is the daughter of Anthony Mercieca, better known as ‘taċ-Ċisk‘, a former Labour mayor of Sannat. Minister Camilleri, who is also responsible for planning and made the appointment, is also Gozitan and is widely seen as consolidating political support ahead of the next general elections.

Portelli has emerged as one of the most dominant and politically connected figures in Malta’s construction sector, particularly in Gozo, where a steady stream of high-density projects has transformed entire localities into dense clusters of apartment blocks. Many of these developments have been controversial, drawing strong objections over their scale, location, and compliance with planning policies.

Still, projects linked to Portelli and his associates have continued to secure permits, often through applications filed under third parties or frontmen, obscuring the identity of the ultimate developer.

Mercieca Sultana has fronted a number of such developments, placing her within the same development ecosystem she is now expected to regulate.

Her new role on the Planning Authority commission is particularly sensitive given that it also deals with regularisation applications, a process through which developments that breach planning rules can be sanctioned retrospectively.

Asked for a reaction, a spokesman for Portelli said: “Manuela Mercieca Sultana was employed full-time between 2020 and 2024 with a company in which Joseph Portelli is one of four shareholders. Since December 2024, she has operated independently and was engaged by Portelli on a limited, ad hoc basis.”

Minister Camilleri’s latest move fits into a wider pattern of the Planning Authority being increasingly staffed with individuals drawn from circles close to the Minister and the development sector.

Previous appointments, including figures such as architect Godwin Agius and Planning Authority CEO Johann Buttigieg, have already caused concern about the lack of distance between regulators, political appointees and the construction lobby.