ADPD candidate suspects 'hidden political hand' over MCAST contract non-renewal
Brian Decelis says he was told during election week that his contract would not be renewed.
ADPD candidate Brian Decelis has questioned the timing of his contract with MCAST not being renewed, saying he fears there may have been political motivation behind it.
Decelis, who is contesting the third and fourth districts for ADPD, was told during the final week of the election campaign that his three-year contract as operations manager at MCAST Gateway to Industry, the commercial branch of MCAST, would not be renewed.
He said he was not alleging any legal breach but was concerned about the timing of the decision that was communicated to him.
“I fear a hidden political hand in this matter,” he told Times of Malta. “Why did they wait until the Monday before the election to tell me? It’s the most insensitive thing you can do.”
MCAST denied the claims.
Decelis said that, until this week, he had received no formal or informal indication that his contract would not be extended.
“No one at any point said it wouldn’t be renewed before I got the termination letter.”
He acknowledged that he had been informed two months before the expiry of his contract in August. However, he said such a decision would likely have been taken earlier and argued that he should have been given some prior indication.
“Technically, there is nothing illegal, but what isn’t okay is the timing.” He continued, “If I weren’t a strong enough person, I would have collapsed this week.”
Decelis said he had first become uneasy last year, when MCAST principal Stephen Vella allegedly told him his title could be changed to general manager. Decelis said he dismissed the suggestion at the time, saying, “What's in a title?”
By the end of the year, he said, he was informed that a new general manager post would be created. Since he believed his operations manager role was similar to that of a general manager, Decelis said he asked for more information and was told the new role would involve different responsibilities.
He said he later raised his concerns with Vella and was told the details would be discussed in the future.
Decelis said his political suspicions were also linked to the fact that he had been hired under former MCAST principal Joachim James Calleja, whose own dismissal from the college was the subject of controversy.
Calleja had filed a complaint with the Ombudsman’s Office, claiming his dismissal was unlawful and politically motivated.
In 2024, Commissioner for Education and Chief Justice Emeritus Vincent De Gaetano concluded that the circumstances of Calleja’s dismissal were “both unreasonable and unjust.”
Decelis, who previously worked at the University of Malta, said he believed there was a very different culture at the two institutions.
He said the University of Malta prided itself on its independence and autonomy, while MCAST appeared to have a closer relationship with the government.
“MCAST is a political animal through and through,” he said.
He pointed to what he described as the frequency of ministerial visits to MCAST compared with the University.
In response to Decelis’s claims, MCAST said he was not employed directly by the college but by MCAST Gateway to Industry, known as MG2i.
It said he “was employed on a definite contract by the company and was informed two months before its expiry that it would not be renewed, in line with standard procedure.”
MCAST said the decision not to renew the contract “is completely unrelated” to any political matters or suggestions.