Joseph Cuschieri was the CEO of the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) when he was appointed as CEO of the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) in 2018. Cuschieri decided to be accompanied by his long-term friend Edwina Licari, who joined him from MGA. During their term at MFSA, they traveled on 38 “business” trips together and spent €0.5 million from taxpayers’ monies. During a 2017 trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, they stayed at the luxurious Emperors Palace.
The MGA Playground
For the luxury stay at Emperors Palace, the MGA and thus Maltese taxpayers had to pay ZAR 50,000 – ZAR 24,100 for Joe Cuschueri‘s Executive Suit and ZAR 12,860 each for the Superior King apartments of Edwina Licari and Heathcliff Farrugia.
Before being handpicked as CEO of MFSA, Joseph Cuschieri was photographed having lunch with disgraced accountant Brian Tonna of Nexia BT. Tonna is today facing criminal proceedings at Malta courts and has already spent some nights in jail. Cuschieri had been giving direct orders to Nexia BT Group for several years.
During her MGA time, Edwina Licari drafted a letter for Yorgen Fenech, a Maltese casino operator and real estate developer, to lobby for an MGA casino license renewal. The Police have not yet acted on this case.
The MFSA Playground
During their short joint MFSA tenure, Cuschieri and Licari also traveled to Las Vegas with Yorgen Fenech, the alleged mastermind behind the assassination of Maltese blogger Daphne Caruana Galiza and enjoyed time on the entrepreneur’s luxurious boat in the Mediterranean sea.
In November 2020, Joseph Cuschieri resigned in disgrace following the shocking revelations that he had close ties with the alleged mastermind behind the brutal assassination of a Maltese journalist, Yorgen Fenech. Fenech is currently in prison, awaiting trial.
Edwina Licari still works at MFSA and enjoys a €100,000 annual salary.
The Post-Cuschieri Era
Today, Cuschieri runs his consultancy firm, Joseph Cuschieri & Associates, and has not yet faced any criminal proceedings in court.
Joseph Cuschieri was replaced by an interim CEO Christopher Buttigieg, who is now facing serious accusations in courts by a subject person. Buttigieg was later removed from acting CEO and replaced by Joseph Gavin, who, following a dismal appearance during an interview, lost the trust of many. Gavin will resign from MFSA’s CEO post by the end of the year.
