Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/785757
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 2017 3 MATTHEW AGIUS MALTA'S fledgling Democratic Party has rounded on the recent controversial appointment of Judge Emeritus Lino Farrugia Sacco as head of the newly-formed Lands Authority, saying that the benefit of that authority has been neutralised by the government's appointment of "the majority of the board and a chairperson who is clearly not to be trusted." On Tuesday, Parliamentary secre- tary for planning Deborah Schem- bri vigorously defended the choice of judge Farrugia Sacco as chairper- son of the new Lands Authority, de- scribing him as a "man of integrity" with vast legal experience. Schembri said that Farrugia Sac- co's experience outweighed the fact that he was twice recommended for impeachment after the Com- mission for the Administration of Justice found him guilty of gross misconduct while president of the Malta Olympic Committee. "His positive attributes outweigh anything he might have done that could have led to impeachment," the junior minister said. Farrugia Sacco, father of Labour candidate David Farrugia Sacco, only escaped impeachment because he reached retirement age before parliamentary proceedings could begin and after the Labour govern- ment did not present a new im- peachment motion. In a statement issued yesterday morning, the party led by MP Mar- lene Farrugia said that the Labour government that pledged to bring change, meritocracy and transpar- ency "has completely lost its way." "The recent appointment of Judge Emeritus Farrugia Sacco to head the newly formed Lands Author- ity shows clearly the inability of the current administration to restore faith in our institutions. Judge Far- rugia Sacco has faced two impeach- ment motions under two different Prime Ministers. He was also found guilty prima facie by the Commis- sion for the Administration of Jus- tice (CAJ)." Pointing out that the lands depart- ment has been at the centre of two scandalous controversies under this administration, namely the Cafe Premier and Gaffarena expropria- tion deals, the party said "any hope that this reform would actually cre- ate an authority that is independent from Castille was killed when the government appointed the majority of the board and a chairperson who is clearly not to be trusted given his past track record. Partit Demokra- tiku is concerned that the author- ity's puppet master will be Castille. Partit Demokratiku would like to remind the current administration that when people voted for change in 2013, they did not vote to get more of the same or even worse." "Partit Demokratiku notes that while magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera's appointment was reject- ed by the Judicial Appointments Committee due to 'her conduct in private life'; Farrugia Sacco's ap- pointment still went ahead despite the fact that his record in public life is not one to be championed. Partit Demokratiku strongly con- demns the normalisation of such behaviour and the rewarding of it by handing out such posts to those responsible. "Trust is the intangible indispen- sable element that together with adequate reform can jumpstart the much needed efficiency, result yielding capacity of our institu- tions," the party said. News Democratic Party: Lands Authority reform nullified by Farrugia Sacco's appointment Retired judge Lino Farrugia Sacco (left) next to parliamentary secretary Deborah Schembri and consultant Robert Musumeci (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)