Government pushes through CEO change at Building and Construction Authority

A Transport Malta official will become the next CEO of the Building Construction Authority, after the government informed board members it would not retain Karl Azzopardi as CEO.

BCA board members were informed last week of the government’s intention to install Jesmond Muscat, a deputy chief officer at Transport Malta, as CEO.

The decision was approved this week by the BCA board.

Karl Azzopardi was previously the CEO of INDIS Malta Ltd, which is responsible for the management and administration of industrial estates.

A government source claimed the decision to change the BCA’s CEO comes in the face of vociferous criticism by the Chamber of Architects and the Malta Developers Association, who held meetings over complaints of allegedly incorrect interpretation of the law.

“One complaint made by the Chamber was that the same requisites for large projects under the BCA’s law was being employed for simple procedures such as changing a gypsum law or apertures… this was becoming burdensome for architects,” the source said.

However, the BCA’s chairman of the board is also the architect of J Portelli Projects, Maria Schembri Grima – a conflict of interest that so far remains unresolved.

MaltaToday is informed the Office of the Prime Minister took a lead role in promoting Muscat’s credentials for the role of CEO, citing his experience in “transport” and the hackneyed quality of being a “doer”.