The tension between the Public Broadcasting CEO John Bundy and the board seems to have escalated following a damning audit that was released by sections of the media over the past days.

The audit was ordered following clashes between Bundy and the national broadcaster’s board members. The Malta Independent had reported on the rising tension in the board.

Some weeks back the board had threatened to resign of Bundy was not removed. The PBS board had written a letter to the Minister for Justice and Culture Owen Bonnici, highlighting the issue at hand.

On Sunday the Times reported on the findings of the report, which confirmed that John Bundy breached procurement regulations following a car leasing deal worth over €500,000. The report claims that Bundy “bullied” the senior management.

John Bundy has since taken to Facebook to vent his frustration. In his two most recent posts, Bundy claimed that he got to know about the results of the inquiry from the media.

“These are the results of an independent inquiry about me, and I am the last one to get to know about it,” he writes on Facebook. Bundy is claiming that Tonio Portughese and his 'clique' want to get rid of him.

“Tonio Portughese and your clique – shame on you! You've been meaning to get rid of me. Soon,” he wrote in a lengthy post.

The former TV presenter said that the PBS board met in secret and are acting as “prosecutors, jurors and judges.”

Tension between Bundy and the Board has been ongoing for quite some time now. In September, this newsroom had reported how the board was alleging that Bundy had ignored its members repeatedly and took decisions without their approval. 

Sources at PBS said that the board of directors felt it can no longer allow such a situation, and hence declared they have no confidence in the CEO. This newsroom was also told that in a board meeting which was held a few weeks prior, the board of directors had decided to remove the CEO's procurement powers. This meant that Bundy was not allowed to sign for anything that PBS purchases without the board's approval.

This newsroom sent questions to John Bundy, Anthony Portughese and the Ministry responsible for PBS Owen Bonnici inquiring further details.

John Bundy has been at the helm of PBS for little more than a year.