‘Johann out’

Campaigners have renewed demands for Planning Authority chief Johann Buttigieg’s dismissal, accusing the government of protecting him despite published messages exposing his close relationship with businessmen.

In a statement headed “Kick Out the Corrupt”, they called for Buttigieg to be permanently barred from public office and consultancy work, alongside an independent investigation into his communications with developers.

At the centre of the controversy is Buttigieg’s message to Yorgen Fenech: “we can do business whenever you want”. The campaigners argue that his willingness to discuss business with a developer while leading the regulator was itself grounds for removal.

They also challenged Buttigieg’s reported assertion during Thursday’s protest that he had only three weeks left at the authority when the exchanges occurred. According to the statement, the business discussion took place in March 2019, months before his departure in October.

The demands build on earlier appeals to Prime Minister Robert Abela, as ten organisations called for Buttigieg’s dismissal and highlighted his return to the authority in 2025 on a three-year contract worth up to €140,000.

Eleven youth and student organisations also joined the campaign, questioning how Buttigieg’s reappointment had been justified when some exchanges were already public.

The latest statement says Minister Jonathan Attard defended Buttigieg by arguing that the business dealings discussed never materialised. Campaigners reject that defence, saying the issue extends to informal discussions about planning decisions and preferential access.

They are demanding mandatory official communication channels, public access to correspondence and a transparency register recording meetings between officials and interested parties, arguing that the planning system needs enforceable safeguards.