NGOs Reject Planning Chief's Company Transfer to Son as Inadequate
In brief
- Ten environmental and heritage organisations have renewed calls for the resignation of Planning Authority chief executive Johann Buttigieg.
- Activists described Buttigieg's transfer of his private company's directorship to his son as a meaningless gesture.
- The private firm in question had been used to receive payments from a substantial public consultancy contract.
A coalition of ten environmental and heritage organisations has rejected an announcement by Planning Authority chief executive Johann Buttigieg that he transferred the directorship of his private firm to his son.
The non-governmental organisations, including Moviment Graffitti, dismissed the move as a hollow gesture that fails to resolve serious concerns surrounding conflict of interest and good governance.
Controversy erupted after it emerged that Buttigieg was benefiting from a lucrative public consultancy contract routed through a private commercial entity.
In response to public criticism, Buttigieg announced that he had stepped down from the company's directorship and transferred the position to his son, Mattias.
Activists argued that passing nominal control of the corporate vehicle to an immediate family member does nothing to alter the underlying financial interests or ethical questions at stake.
The coalition insisted that Buttigieg's position at the helm of the national planning regulator has become untenable, reiterating demands for his immediate removal or resignation.
The Spin Room
Low media divide. Both reporting outlets covered the joint statement by civil society groups consistently, detailing their rejection of the directorship transfer.