News • December 14 2003

Libya to pay on departure of Fenech Adami protégé

Malta’s voice in the world, Voice of the Mediterranean (VOM) may close next week, if it does not receive sufficient funds owed to it by the Libyan government. But sources told MaltaToday that the Libyans were willing to pay their share when Managing director Richard Muscat leaves VOM radio. Mr Muscat who is seen as Fenech Adami’s protégé is reputed to have unmistakable managerial skills. He has been accused of nepotism by giving a company where his son works a Lm3,000 monthly contract to update a website. A laughable sum dubbed as scandalous. Despite having a major deficit VoM under Mr Muscat has changed all the company cars costing the company Lm31,000 and has also sponsored a visiting ship the Odyssee by the sum of Lm10,000.

Mr Muscat a former Head of PN’s Radio 101 and mostly remembered for running TV station studio-master from Sicily before 1987, is being credited as deepening VOM’s black hole.
When Richard Muscat moved in as Managing Director of VOM in July 2000, the station had Lm216,492 in bank deposits and was owed Lm853,699 in contributions from the Libyan government.
Today the Libyans owe VOM Lm980,699 and creditors are owed Lm144,403. Richard Muscat whom the Libyans hope will take a permanent residency in Ireland as Malta ambassador has said that he is being used as a scapegoat.