Former planning and lands minister is now lawyer for both planning and lands authorities

The two regulatory authorities that govern Malta’s public lands and planning process have both employed their former political master, after she was not returned to office in the 2017 election.

After revealing last Sunday that Deborah Schembri had been taken on by the Lands Authority as a legal consultant, MaltaToday can now confirm that the former parliamentary secretary is now also an employee of the Planning Authority.

Schembri was responsible for both the planning and lands authorities, the latter regulator having been reformed under her stewardship.

The PA’s executive chairman, Johann Buttigieg confirmed with this newspaper that Schembri was now legal advisor to the PA’s executive council, on a three-year contract of service. The appointment was made by direct order of the council.

The Lands Authority also confirmed last Sunday that both Schembri and the consultant to the PA’s demerger and Lands reform, Robert Musumeci, were acting as lawyers for the authority.

Both Schembri and Musumeci appeared for the Lands Authority last week for a marathon session of some 47 cases before the Lands Arbitration Board. 

The LAB is a tribunal for cases that deal with the expropriation of private land and property, to decide on the compensation for such expropriations by the State.

The Lands Authority refused to divulge how much the former minister and the government consultant are being paid. 

“The Lands Authority chose competent and honest lawyers well versed in government lands-related legislation to continue working in the best interest of the authority,” CEO Carlo Mifsud told MaltaToday.

“The chosen advocates more than fulfil the criteria required to carry out the job entrusted to them and given their competences they are held to be assets for the authority. They will be remunerated according to tariffs established by law. The authority holds that there is no conflict of interest in the appointments.”

Mifsud said Schembri was handling cases that concerned decisions taken prior to her tenure. 

“As in any other instance when it comes to advocacy, if there is any case in which she would have a conflict of interest dealing with, she will not take up the case and the case would be passed on to her colleague. However given the type of cases that are under the jurisdiction of the LAB, these, if any at all, will be few and far between. Cases usually concern expropriation of land that has taken place a few good legislatures back.”

Robert Musumeci, who pens a planning column for this newspaper, has already served the Labour government on two important reforms: the demerger of the Planning Authority, and the creation of the Lands Authority in the wake of the Old Mint Street expropriation scandal that led to the resignation of then parliamentary secretary Michael Falzon. 

His appointment was in fact made by the parliamentary secretary at the time, Deborah Schembri.