Gavin Gulia will not be automatically reinstated as Chairman for Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), The Malta Independent is informed.
Before he regains the post he held only a week ago before all that came about following his casual election win, he will have to face Parliamentary Committee on Public Appointments.
Earlier this month, a casual election was held to fill the void left following the resignation of Edward Scicluna as MO.
The election was contested by former Rabat mayor and now PN life-member Charles Azzopardi, MTA Chairman and former PL MP Gavin Gulia, and MCST Chairman and former PN MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando.
Gulia won the casual election but resigned just minutes after being sworn in at the House of Representatives the following day, saying that Prime Minister Robert Abela asked him to consider staying on as MTA chairman due to the Covid-19 pandemic which “is a crucial time for tourism.”
However, Gulia had resigned from his post as MTA chairman in order to be sworn in as an MP, so his future as MTA chairman is on hold.
The PN had released a statement in which it said that the Minister is obliged by law to present the nomination of a chairman of a public entity before the Parliamentary Committee on Public Appointments.
“In this case, Gulia’s resignation ended his term as MTA chairman and as such a fresh nomination for his re-appointment needs to be submitted for scrutiny," the PN said.
This newsroom contacted the Tourism Ministry asking if Gulia will be bypassing this process since he was the former MTA Chairman since 2013 (the Public Appointments Committee was set up in 2017).
A spokesperson for the Ministry said that Gulia will in fact face the Public Appointments Committee before being reinstated. Minister Bartolo, who had been a standing member of the Committee, has resigned.
In a statement the PN had said: “nobody believes that Robert Abela and Gavin Gulia did not have everything planned before today's scene, which was a scene of disrespect to the will and choice of the voters.”
PL insiders told this newsroom that the PM had pressured Gulia to contest Tuesday’s casual election because he did not want either Azzopardi or Pullicino Orlando to take Scicluna’s seat.
Over the weekend, it was revealed that Commissioner for the Rights of Persons with Disability Oliver Scicluna was to take Gulia’s place. He was sworn in on Monday.