Perilous entrance to embassy penthouse led to tragic fall

Paul A. Attard was “a man of principles with a strong sense of vocation”, people who worked closely with the veteran broadcaster said.

Attard, 72, died in a tragic fall. His body was found on Monday morning after members of his family reported him missing to the police. He was last seen at a reception organised by the Sovereign Order of Malta at its embassy in Valletta.

The President of the Republic, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, was also present at the reception, held on the roof of the embassy in Ordinance Street.

It is not clear what caused Attard’s fall but Police investigators believe he was walking down a ramp leading to a penthouse in the building when he fell over onto an adjacent roof, hitting his head.

He fell a height of one storey.

The reception was held on Sunday evening but Attard was only found on Monday morning at around 9.20. Sources explained it was harder for the investigating officers to find him since he fell into another property.

It is understood that he went to the reception unaccompanied.

Father to former AFM deputy commander, Col David Attard, Paul Attard served as permanent secretary at the Ministry of Education under the Nationalist administration, served also as chairman of the Public Service Commission and was president of the board of governors at MCAST.

He was currently serving as president of the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation and was very well-respected, described as a gentleman.

Attard was also part of the team that set up RTK, the Church’s radio station, and presented several religious programmes.

Fr Joe Borg, who presided the funeral mass, described Attard as a man of principles and values. Borg had convinced Attard to take a year’s leave from the civil service to help him set up RTK.

“I worked closely with him in broadcasting and together we worked on Dawl il-Hajja. I then persuaded him to take a year off when we were setting up RTK,” Borg told MaltaToday.

He praised Attard for his commitment in everything he did: “He worked out of conviction and whatever he set his mind on, he ensured he did well.”

Attard was also very active within the Nationalist Party and, following his retirement, he also served as advisor to the party on education policies.

The PN’s deputy leader for parliamentary affairs, Mario de Marco, worked closer with Attard on cultural affairs. “He had a strong sense of vocation and he worked tremendously even in his role as president of the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation,” Dr de Marco said.