Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1538322
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 AUGUST 2025 NEWS JobsPlus Permit Number: 698/2025 The Authority for Integrity in Maltese Sports is looking for a Chief Execu ve Officer (CEO). The applicant is expected to be analy cal, curious and ideally have a general interest in sports. The selected candidate will handle the nancial aspect of the Authority. The candidate shall be in possession of an MQF Level 6 in Management, Law, Finance, Business Management or a related degree (or higher). The applicant is also expected to have 8 years' experience in management. Interested applicants are invited to send their applica on via email. The applica on shall include a covering le er, a Curriculum Vitae and a recent police conduct (within one month). Applica ons will be accepted un l the 20th of August 2025 at noon. Applica ons including the abovemen oned documents are to be sent to the following address: careers.aims@aims.org.mt CONTUNUED FROM PAGE 1 Apart from Mizzi, the minister also appointed retired permanent secretary Nancy Caruana and auditor Maria Micallef on the inquiry board. The board has been given six weeks to conclude its in- vestigation. Grima's decision comes after the spotlight was cast on MCAST's inability to detect the fraud, which had been going on for two years. Farrugia, who worked as a manager in the college's salaries department issued double payments to herself be- tween 2023 and 2025. The inquiry has been given a wide remit to probe the school's payroll processes and establish admin- istrative, civil and criminal responsibilities as appli- cable. The inquiry is tasked with investigating the existence or otherwise of any link between the pro- cesses, procedures and decisions taken by MCAST officials and the case of fraud and misappropria- tion of public funds. The board will also determine whether the current system used by MCAST has automatic systems to detect suspicious activity. In the terms of reference that were published on Saturday, the minister asked the board to draw up recommendations and provide guidance as to their publication once the inquiry is over. Fraud charges Francine Farrugia was a Nationalist Party local councillor in Siġġiewi and a general election can- didate. She resigned from the council and all PN posts on the day of her arraignment. The police investigation kicked off in June af- ter a tip off flagged discrepancies in the institu- tion's payroll system. MCAST was unaware of the wrongdoing until it was informed by the police in July when investigators stopped a payment of €122,000 from being made to Farrugia's account. Financial Crime Investigations Unit officers re- vealed in court that Farrugia transferred more than €1.9 million directly into her personal Revolut ac- count. Other transfers, including one of €200,000, were made to a notary. She was arrested at her MCAST office last Wednesday. During the search of her residence, of- ficers discovered large quantities of luxury goods, including designer handbags, shoes, clothing, and other high-end fashion items. Court testimony al- so indicated that she had spent over €113,000 at Harrods. Property contracts and vehicle purchases were also flagged, allegedly made during the same period. While Farrugia cooperated with police logistical- ly, she opted not to answer questions during her interrogation. In court, she appeared visibly nerv- ous and uneasy, at times requesting to sit down. She was denied bail and remanded in custody. The prosecution, led by the Attorney General's office requested a freezing order on Farrugia's bank accounts and assets. The court upheld the re- quest due to the risk of dissipation of funds. The magistrate denied the defence's request for a ban on the publication of Farrugia's name. The court also turned down a request by MCAST, to ban the name of the institution. Meanwhile, on Saturday, Times of Malta report- ed that MCAST's auditor, PKF Malta, had not yet signed off on the 2023 accounts pending more in- formation from the school. However, sources close to the school told MaltaToday that the auditors had detected no fraud and the only pending matter was information about the board of governors. Inquiry board given six weeks to conclude its investigation MCAST €2.3 MILLION FRAUD CASE MCAST employee Francine Farrugia was charged with €2.3 million in fraud after paying herself a double salary • Farrugia was a PN councillor in Siġġiewi Francine Farrugia was arrested at her MCAST office last Wednesday THE Gozo Wastewater Treat- ment Plant in Ras il-Ħobż, Għajnsielem, is set for a ma- jor upgrade that will double its treatment capacity. The reason for this expansion is the sharp increase in the is- land's population and waste- water generation over the past decade. The project, led by the Water Services Corporation (WSC), will expand the plant's daily treatment capacity from 6,000 cubic metres to 12,000 cubic metres. This comes after the existing plant, operational since 2007, repeatedly exceeded its design limits, particularly dur- ing the summer months when Gozo experiences a surge in tourism. The proposed expansion will involve the construction of a new facility adjacent to the ex- isting plant, increasing the site footprint from 5,000sq.m to ap- proximately 10,000sq.m. Works will be carried out on adjacent land to avoid interrupt- ing the current plant's opera- tions. The new plant will feature ad- vanced Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) technology, enabling higher treatment efficiency and the production of high-quality reclaimed water—locally re- ferred to as new water—for ag- ricultural use. According to a Project De- scription Statement drafted by environmental consultants AIS Limited the upgrade will allow the facility to meet more strin- gent EU and national wastewa- ter treatment standards. While the development is expected to bring significant long-term benefits, including a reduced risk of untreated waste- water reaching the sea, it also comes with major adverse im- pacts. These include the permanent loss of agricultural land, the ex- tension of an industrial facility that clashes with the rural land- scape, and temporary construc- tion-phase nuisances such as dust, noise, and air pollution. Gozo sewage treatment plant to double capacity JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt The Gozo Wastewater Treatment Plant in Ghajnsielem