One of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s spokesmen has been appointed to the board of a new authority for which he also serves as mouthpiece, Times of Malta is informed.
Nigel Vella, who until the last general election was the Labour Party’s official spokesman, was appointed by Digital Economy Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri to serve as a governor of the board of the newly-established Malta Digital Innovation Authority, tasked to act as the regulator of the blockchain industry on the island.
Mr Schembri’s portfolio, including the authority, is overseen by the Office of the Prime Minster, for which Mr Vella works.
The latest appointment will boost Mr Vella’s public remuneration by an extra €3,500 a year, in addition to his already generous taxpayer-funded salary as part of the OPM’s spokesmen team.
It is not yet known what expertise Mr Vella holds in the blockchain industry.
Asked to state whether members of the board of governors, who are already on a government salary either through normal employment or as persons of trust, still receive the governor’s honoraria (€3,500 a year) over and above their salary, a spokeswoman for Mr Schembri confirmed that this was the…
