Air Malta has denied giving the post of Head of Communications to Labour TV presenter Karl Stagno Navarra, saying that the selection process for the role is still open and ongoing.
Rumours had been circulating on social media that Stagno Navarra had been appointed as the national airline’s Head of Communications with a pay packet of €90,000, but this was denied by both the airline and Stagno Navarra himself.
Asked whether Stagno Navarra had been appointed to the aforementioned role, a spokesperson for Air Malta told The Malta Independent that a call for applications for the post of “Head of Public Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility” had indeed been issued but that “the selection process is still ongoing.”
This newsroom also contacted Stagno Navarra. When asked whether he had applied for the role of Head of Communications with the airline, first said that it was best to ask the person who was circulating the said rumour for an answer, before calling it “fake news” when asked for a clarification.
Stagno Navarra, once a staple figure on Nationalist Party media house NET TV, took on a role within the Labour party’s television station in 2016, presenting a daily current affairs show in the early evening slot.
He also has consultancy roles within Malta Enterprise and Transport Malta. Information tabled in Parliament by Transport Minister Ian Borg earlier this year showed that he is being paid a €1,500 monthly retainer for a role as consultant/media coordinator as part of a contract which started in October 2018 and runs for a year.
With Transport Malta, Stagno Navarra coordinates and produces regular information campaigns on traffic viability across the Maltese Islands, as well as promotes and coordinates campaigns related to the maritime and aviation sectors, according to the contract. He also assists and consults with Transport Malta to keep motorists and residents informed of scheduled works in areas earmarked.
Last November, it emerged through the Government Gazette that Stagno Navarra was awarded a €21,600 direct order by the Office of the Prime Minister for “services related to communications and research analysis”.