Another John Dalli associate has replaced Tanya Borg Cardona as Broadcasting Authority chairman

George Mifsud, who owns one of Malta’s older and bigger advertising agencies, MPS, has been appointed chairman of the Broadcasting Authority, replacing another John Dalli associate, Tanya Borg Cardona, who was forced by staff mutiny to resign.

Mifsud’s company ran large campaigns for the Finance Ministry when Dalli was Minister of Finance. The real issue, though, is the fact that he owns an advertising agency which deals heavily and on a daily basis with the public service broadcaster which the Broadcasting Authority is there to regulate, and this puts him in a clear and obvious position of conflict of interest.

The Opposition has objected to his appointment. It had proposed Joe Said Pullicino, a retired Chief Justice and former Ombudsman, for the position but the Prime Minister refused.