In the wake of the scandals that rocked the Malta Transport Authority (ADT) this year and last, this week the ADT quietly took on a new chief executive officer to replace former CEO Gianfranco Selvaggi, whose post had been lying vacant since his resignation at the end of June – months before his term was due to expire.

On Monday Ray Attard, a former Enemalta chief executive officer, took up the post very quietly and without any of the traditional appointment notices outlining the appointee’s background.

Now, nearly a week after a new CEO of a public authority began work, the ADT is still to inform the public.

Questions from The Malta Independent on Sunday about the appointment and the selection process leading to the choice remain unanswered, with the ADT informing this newspaper on Friday that a press release on the matter would be issued “in due course”.

Normally, the appointment of a public authority CEO should have become public knowledge from at least day one of the appointment, if not before. But the ADT has been conspicuous in its silence on the appointment of a new public authority CEO, which does very little by way of inspiring confidence in the running of the country’s transport regulator and watchdog.

It has been semi-public knowledge and well known within the ADT that Mr Attard had been earmarked for the post even before Mr Selvaggi’s resignation at the end of June and that the choice had already been etched in stone some eight weeks ago, when calls for applications for the post had been issued and while the formality of conducting interviews for the post were being carried out some six weeks ago.

The scandals bearing down on the ADT had stemmed from the original “cash for licenses” debacle in which ADT driving test examiners had been implicated in receiving cash payments in exchange for turning a blind eye during driving exams and rubber-stamping exam certificates.

A canvasser of Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett was eventually identified as one of the transgressing examiners and calls for his removal, and that of another examiner, had been ignored. Mr Mugliett had become embroiled in the affair and had even offered his resignation, which was turned down by the Prime Minister.

Mr Attard will undoubtedly be looking to instil a new sense of confidence in the Authority following a series of scandals plaguing it in the recent past, while also mending fences with both the public and the media.

Despite the fact that, at this point in time, the ADT should be looking to inspire greater confidence in it and capitalising on the institution of a new CEO, the Authority has missed an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start afresh with full transparency.

But, as the axiom goes, transparency delayed is transparency denied.