Standards Commissioner cannot investigate Project Green chief over Ira Losco sponsor

The Standards Commissioner will not investigate Project Green CEO Steve Ellul over a series of sponsored posts from singer Ira Losco as he is not considered a person of trust by law.

In a partial decision to a complaint filed by independent politician Arnold Cassola, the Commissioner ruled that Ellul cannot be investigated by him as he can only investigate members of parliament and some persons of trust.

To be considered a person of trust, one must have been employed from outside the public sector or appointed to a position that was left vacant despite several public calls.

Cassola’s complaint concerns use of public funds by Minister Miriam Dalli and Ellul to promote Project Green, a government agency tasked with creating new parks across Malta and Gozo.

The Shift News had reported that Ira Losco was paid money by Project green to visit and promote some of the projects under the agency’s wing.

As part of the contractual agreement, Losco would post pictures of her and her family at several parks and tag the personal pages of Dalli and Ellul. However, the posts are not uploaded as sponsored contents.

In reaction to the Commissioner’s decision, Cassola argued that Ellul was politically appointed to head the government agency. Cassola also said that Ellul is considered a politically-exposed person as he is contesting the European Parliament elections on the Labour ticket - although  Ellul has not officially announced his candidature yet.

“Therefore, the Standards Commissioner will not be investigating Steve Ellul with regards to the publicly funded contract given to Ira Losco, demanding from her and her family members to visit some Maltese parks and pseudo-parks, decrying their pseudo-beauty and pseudo-breathtaking views in her facebook posts, whilst tagging Steve Ellul, Minister Miriam Dalli and Project Green in the process.”