Police CEO Angelo Gafa' is the Cabinet's choice for the post of police commssioner, a Department of Information statement said.
Following a public call by the Public Service Commission and the evaluation of the applications for the role of Police Commissioner, the Commission unanimously referred a shortlist of two candidates to the Cabinet of Ministers.
The Cabinet of Ministers considered both candidates and decided to nominate Angelo Gafà as the most qualified candidate for the appointment of the Police Commissioner, for a hearing by the Parliamentary Committee for Public Appointments.
This step is being taken after Parliament approved a new method to appoint the Police Commissioner.
"For the first time in history, the Police Commissioner will be appointed following a public call and with increased scrutiny, following a hearing by the Parliamentary Committee for Public Appointments. The process is now more open and transparent," a government statement read.
Gafà was appointed to the post of Malta Police Force CEO in 2016. Gafa also lectures at the University of Malta. He was an inspector and also worked with the Malta Security Service (MSS). Before joining the police force, Gafà was a Lieutenant in the Armed Forces of Malta.
The government statement did not mention the second candidate proposed by the PSC. Sources told The Malta Independent it was assistant commissioner Alexandra Mamo.
Originally, eight people had applied for the post of new Police Commissioner. These were lawyers Mary Muscat, Herman Mula, Frankie Sammut, Assistant Commissioner Alexandra Mamo, legal procurator Sandro Camilleri, Police CEO Angelo Gafa and Inspectors Robert Vella and Jonathan Ransley.
The Malta Police Force is currently led by Acting Police Commissioner Carmelo Magri. He took over after the resignation of Lawrence Cutajar earlier this year.
PN to boycott selection process
The Opposition said it will not participate in the process to appoint a new commissioner, saying that the Prime Minister is being hard-headed, and nothing has changed.
The new commissioner will be placed on probation for a year and will be removed if he doesn't please the government or tried to investigate the cases of abuse and corruption that have damaged the country, it said.
The PN said that, in such a delicate moment, the PM should not be hard-headed and should seek consensus from the Opposition in the choice of a person who can lead the police force to win back the trust of the public.
Under the new system, the succesful candidate will have to be vetted by Parliament's Public Appointments Committee, which the Opposition forms part of.