MHRA expresses confidence in MTA chief
Formosa Gauci 'a key player in ensuring success enjoyed by the tourism industry' says MHRA
24 January 2014, 12:00am
Jerome Caruana Cilia
Jerome Caruana Cilia
1 min read
MTA CEO Josef Formosa Gauci
The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) has expressed its reservations on a story published by General Worker's Union daily paper L-Orizzont about an alleged abuse by Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) CEOer Josef Formosa Gauci.
MHRA said that Formosa Gauci had been a key player in ensuring the success enjoyed by the tourism industry over the past years.
"The MHRA Council has full trust in the competencies of Formosa Gauci and augurs that he will be given again the opportunity to keep supporting the industry proposer as he has already done over the past years. Indeed results speak for themselves and do not come up by coincidence," MHRA President Paul Bugeja said.
On Wednesday, l-Orizzont reported that MTA CEO Formosa Gauci had obtained €23,000 extra from his post at MTA in a benefit for his own car, and an extra benefit of an official car on top of his €77,000 annual salary.
Minister for Tourism Karmenu Vella defended Formosa Gauci and highlighted his efforts to attain positive results for the tourism industry.
The minister also expressed disappointment to the fact that the attack on Formosa Gauci appears to have originated from inside the MTA.
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@davidp - If you are commenting in reference to Dr Joseph Muscat you must know that the Hon Prime Minister does not enjoy the use of a Government owned ministerial official car.
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The PL administration should be consistent. If the report in l-Orizzont turns out to be correct then Mr Formosa Gauci must be asked to refund any money obtained as benefits and of which he did not make use of. The present administration legislated the Whistle Blower Act in order that any irregularities are brought to the attention of the authorities concerned.
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..funny L'Orizzont brought benefitting from allowances or allowances linked personally owned cars into discussion....the topic seems somewhat familiar!
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I do not give a fig who sourced the story, and their reasons! What I care about is whether it is true or not! And what the PRESENT Administration intends doing about it. I would tell the MHRA, that had this happened in the private sector, then bye bye Formosa Gauci or the Payroll clerk (plus full refund from either)! I am sure Formosa Gauci is an asset to the MTA and Malta's tourism industry. However, that should not automatically allow the alleged indiscretions as noted in said newspaper article. If the door is opened to such situations (as had happened and then often repeated during GonziPN with easily convenient precedent being quoted by new entrants to the politically nepotist game and added to with every new appointment), then we might as well go jump in the lake, had we had one. I also do not like the Minister's comments quoted in another newspaper that the Authority's chauffeur and car are available in a carpool. Come on pull the other one! No one would take the car at certain times, and the driver would find convenient excuses to not carry people he does not fancy by parroting that the CEO might want him for "urgent" meetings -blo*dy fu*king bull- all of it. I am 100% certain, that you will also find that those at lower levels that had access to this car, also had a car allowance for the use of their private car for Government use. You will not believe how easy these civil servants acclimatised themselves to sleaze. Also I do not believe the Minister's comment re using the private car to eliminate overtime. Please, please again pull the other one!! This abuse was carried out "alla grande" in GonziPN, and we seem to be finding excuses to carry on (like in the comical movies). JOSEPH MUSCAT, PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MALTESE DO NOT WANT THE SAME MISDEMEANOUR'S BEHAVIOUR NOW!!!
