Former state broadcaster Head of News Norma Saliba is still employed by the Public Broadcasting Services but will be lent to lead the Centre of the Maltese Language, Minister for Heritage Owen Bonnici told The Malta Independent on Monday.

Saliba was appointed to head the newly set up centre after she resigned as TVM Head of News three years into the job and following reports of clashes with the state broadcaster’s executive chairman.

The Centre of the Maltese Language, according to a press statement issued by the Department of Information last month, will serve as the “administrative, organisational and operational organ of the National Council of the Maltese Language.”

Saliba was appointed by Culture Minister Owen Bonnici, who said the new agency would “make a difference in safeguarding the Maltese language, especially within digital spheres”.

However, the National Council of the Maltese Language has claimed that it was not aware of the setting up of the agency, as no consultation exercise took place. The ministry had responded to the allegations and denied them, saying that consultations took place with Council President Olvin Vella and that he gave his go ahead both on the proposal of the creation of the Centre and on Saliba's appointment. 

Additionally, just last week a Maltese language expert Mark Amaira filed a judicial protest on Thursday over Saliba’s appointment.

In the protest, which was filed against the minister himself, the Centre for the Maltese Language, the National Council of the Maltese Language and the State Advocate, Amaira argued that the appointment was done despite Saliba not having any qualifications in language and following the creation of the post without any consultation.

When challenged regarding Saliba’s competence to fill the post Bonnici said that the new centre will take an administrative approach to implement new tools, which are already available for other languages in other countries, including some languages which have been lost.

He said that the technical part of the language will be run by the National Council of the Maltese Language, which employs competent people in the field.

Bonnici said that although one might not agree with her appointment, “a person shall be judged upon the results they produce, and I am convinced that the results given are going to be results enabling the Maltese language to move forward.”

Questioned on why no public call was opened for the role and how this is fair, Bonnici said that it is an established principle that for any government entity, the present minister can choose who it is to lead it.

The minister was also asked about a story published in the Times of Malta on Sunday which revealed that a former Labour MP, Silvio Grixti, has been implicated in a years-long racket to help “hundreds” of people to fraudulently receive monthly disability benefits they are not entitled to.

Bonnici was named in the report as having allegedly referred a person to Grixti.  Asked about this, Bonnici denied ever making any such reference “to any doctor.”

“Whoever is saying this is doing so to make up something that is fraudulent. It is something I absolutely deny,” Bonnici said.