MEPA auditor Joseph Falzon re-appointed for next three months

MEPA has officially confirmed that auditor's Joe Falzon contract has been extended by another three months yesterday evening. Falzon is expected to serve until a new law creating the post of Planning Commissioner is approved by parliament. Falzon has accepted, MaltaToday was told.

The term of Auditor Joe Falzon expired yesterday (Tuesday 20 July) and until the evening the post was vacant. Questions sent by MaltaToday to MEPA on the situation at the audit office   were only answered  following Falzon's re-appointment yesterday evening. Only two weeks ago MEPA auditor Joe Falzon, whose term as MEPA auditor was set to expire in June was  informed that his term was to expire on 20 June.

Contacted yesterday morning before Falzon was re-appointed, parliamentary ombudsman Dr. Joseph Said Pullicino called on the authorities to ensure a vacuum is not created. He also confirmed that as things stand, it is up to MEPA to appoint a new auditor or even extend Falzon’s term.

Last month a spokesperson for parliamentary secretary Mario De Marco announced that the post of auditor will be replaced by that of Commissioner for Planning and the Environment who fall under the office of the parliamentary ombudsman. The person chosen will be one “on whose name there is agreement between the government and the opposition.”

If no agreement is reached the person will be appointed directly by the Ombudsman. But the Ombudsman confirmed that the law instituting the new post of commissioner for planning, although approved by parliament still has to come in force through a legal notice.

And a Bill entitled “an act to empower the Ombudsman to provide administrative and an investigative service to specialised Commissioners for administrative investigations, and to designate such Commissioners as officers of Parliament”, has not been approved by parliament before the summer recess.

“As things stand the office of MEPA auditor still exists and it is up to MEPA to appoint a new auditor,” Pullicino said.

Falzon was appointed as MEPA auditor by the MEPA board in 2004. His term was renewed in 2007 but only after a six-week period in which the authority was left without an auditor, and after he was deprived of the services of his assistant Carmel Cacopardo.  He will now be serving for another three months.

In the latest annual report Falzon reiterated his earlier complaint that MEPA continually puts spokes in the wheels of his office. 
“Every effort is made by MEPA to try and prove that the Audit Office is wrong. This leads me to conclude that the MEPA expects the Audit Office simply to applaud its actions, whatever they are.”

Falzon has questioned the decision of a controversial DCC board which issued a number of pre electoral permits which he deems illegal. In his latest report the auditor questioned the granting of a permit for a ‘stable’ in Mosta.