NGOs Ask for Johann Buttigieg’s head

Ten organisations have demanded the immediate dismissal of Planning Authority chief executive Johann Buttigieg following the re-publication of chats between him and businessman Yorgen Fenech.

In a joint statement, the organisations said the exchanges showed Buttigieg discussing development projects and business interests with Fenech while heading the authority. They accused him of colluding with business interests and called for criminal charges over alleged illegitimate influence.

The NGOs also demanded that Buttigieg be barred from public office, arguing that the conversations reflected a planning system serving a wealthy minority rather than residents, communities and the environment.

Buttigieg first stepped down as PA chief in 2019 before joining the Malta Tourism Authority, a position he left in 2022. Six years after leaving the planning regulator, Robert Abela’s government returned him to its helm on a three-year contract worth up to €140,000.

The groups said the conversations involving Buttigieg had already emerged before his return. They claimed his reappointment followed pressure from Malta’s developers and argued that the disclosures should have ruled out reinstating him.

Their statement follows a Shift News report that the PA accelerated major permit decisions before new planning-appeal rules take effect. The proposed reform would automatically suspend contested permits until appeals are decided, but only for permits approved after the law takes effect.

Applications approved earlier could remain under current rules, allowing construction to proceed during an appeal unless a tribunal intervenes. The report claimed projects were being pushed through this window. Its allegations have not been independently verified.

BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Friends of the Earth Malta, Moviment Graffitti and six other organisations signed the statement. They warned Abela that failing to replace Buttigieg with “a person of integrity” would deepen distrust in Malta’s institutions and trigger further public resistance.