Malta is different. There, it’s really the good networks and friends that count first and foremost. Sincerity or reputation is less important. After a devastating internal investigation, Joseph Cuschieri was forced to resign as CEO of the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) in 2020. Cuschieri used to be a good friend of the arrested Maltese entrepreneur Yorgen Fenech. However, he has been given a new government appointment, the Maltese online media The Shift reports.
Cuschieri stepped down from his role at the MFSA after an internal investigation discovered that he had violated ethical standards by traveling to Las Vegas with Yorgen Fenech and Edwina Licari, the MFSA General Counsel. Fenech paid for the trip. Fenech is also suspected of ordering the murder of investigative Maltese blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The MFSA inquiry, which former Chief Justice Joseph Azzopardi headed, concluded that Cuschieri’s behavior was inappropriate. Despite the report being completed three years prior, the MFSA kept it hidden until The Shift filed a freedom of information request, at which point it was compelled to make it public.
Despite his MFSA past, Miriam Dalli, the Maltese Environment Minister, has appointed Cuschieri to head the Eco-Contribution Appeals Board. This semi-judicial entity handles appeals from businesses that challenge eco-tax contributions on products they sell. The appointment is believed to have been made on the direct orders of Prime Minister Robert Abela.
The Shift has requested clarification from the Office of the Prime Minister regarding Cuschieri’s appointment to another government position after being found to have violated ethical conduct rules at the MFSA. Despite his resignation, research by The Shift indicates that Cuschieri remains on the board of Malta Strategic Partnership Projects Ltd (MSPPL), a government entity previously known as Projects Malta, which was involved in several controversial projects, including negotiations for the troubled Vitals-Steward state hospitals concession.
