Chris Fearne lets slip that Konrad Mizzi is still responsible for Projects Malta

The new Health Minister, Chris Fearne, spoke to the press this morning and inadvertently let slip that Konrad Mizzi, now a Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, is still directly responsible for Projects Malta.

Projects Malta is the limited liability company which Muscat’s government set up to hive off government projects, privatisation, and deal-brokering from the Ministry of Finance and its Privatisation Unit. It has been in Konrad Mizzi’s portfolio since inception, sitting awkwardly – if you didn’t know that it’s all about populating their Panama companies with assets – with his ‘name’ portfolio, energy, and later health.

Projects Malta has cut all the big deals since 2013 and continues to work on others. It handled the privatisation of state hospitals, among other things. Following his announcement that Mizzi would no longer be Minister for Health and Energy, the Prime Minister said that he would retain the energy portfolio himself, as well as responsibility for Projects Malta.