Notary Ian Spiteri has resigned from his post as non-resident ambassador of Malta to Romania, after doubts were raised as to whether he could enter into such an employment contract with the government given his profession as a notary.

"To avoid any speculation, I would like to write this post to clarify my position without entering into many details", he wrote in a Facebook post.

"For those who have been following the media, a few months ago, I was appointed as an Ambassador, and the process was quite lengthy. Towards the end of this process, I was asked to sign a contract with the Government, and a legal point was raised. It is not clear whether, in my profession as a Notary, I can enter into this type of contract with the Government and whether the role of Ambassador is not considered as employment with the Government. I sought various opinions and advice and they were not uniform", the post reads.

He said that for this very reason and "with a sense of responsibility towards my clients", he decided to withdraw from the post.

"The last thing I want is to in any way jeopardize the validity of any contracts I may enter into in the future with direct and significant consequences for my clients.", he said.

Spiteri thanked both the PN and the government for showing him unanimous confidence.

Spiteri was a PN Mayor of Balzan up until 2021, when he resigned from the post for personal reasons.