Calls are growing for Johann Buttigieg to resign from his post as Executive Chairman of the Planning Authority after his chats with Yorgen Fenech have resurfaced during Yorgen Fenech’s trial. Johann Buttigieg was also on Yorgen Fenech’s gift list.
Johann Buttigieg left the Planning Authority on October 2019 just right before the political crisis erupted. He was instead appointed as CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority. In Spring-Summer 2019, then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had started a wide reshuffle of appointments in the government buyreuacracy.
Johann Buttigieg resigned his post from the MTA in 2022 following the revelations he had a corrupt exchange with Yorgen Fenech via WhatsApp involving a discussion around insider trading. Prime Minister Robert Abela has re-appointed him to the Planning Authority in January 2025.
Calls for his resignation are being made by Repubblika, Ramblers’ Association and Moviment Graffitti along with a wider group of about a dozen NGOs. The Nationalist Party has separately demanded that he quit or that Prime Minister Robert Abela remove him, arguing the messages show a conflict between private interests and his public role. The Prime Minister has so far brushed the calls aside, saying the chats are not new.
Most of the corrupt government officials who engaged in corrupt practices with Yorgen Fenech have been protected by the Prime Minister including Marvin Gaerty.
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