The former CEO of the Malta Financial Services Authority, Joseph Cuschieri, has been appointed head of Project Green.
He succeeds Steve Ellul who Times of Malta revealed on Wednesday had resigned to run for the European Parliament election in June.
Cuschieri had to resign as head of the MFSA in 2020 after it was revealed he went on a Las Vegas trip paid for by businessman Yorgen Fenech, who was later accused of the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
At the time, Cuschieri was just weeks into his new job at the helm of the MFSA, having previously served as the regulator for Malta's gaming sector, leading the Malta Gaming Authority.
Project Green, which announced Cuschieri’s appointment through a statement, is the national agency entrusted with the development, maintenance and embellishment of public spaces, gardens and other green infrastructure.
It falls under the political remit of Environment Minister Miriam Dalli.
“We have challenging and exciting times ahead and I am keen to keep building on the good work carried out by my predecessor Steve Ellul," Cuschieri said in the statement.
"Together with the team at Project Green, I will endeavour to develop and implement innovative and quality green projects which add value and a better environment to the communities in Malta and Gozo,” Cuschieri was quoted as saying.
Cuschieri is a Certified Public Accountant, specialising in strategy formulation, corporate finance and business development. He also holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Henley Management College, UK and an Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), UK.
Throughout his 28-year professional career, he held various senior executive positions and directorships within the private and public sectors.
In October 2020, Times of Malta revealed that Cuschieri had travelled to Las Vegas on Fenech's invitation, with the latter footing the bill for their flights and accommodation. The pair stayed at the luxury casino hotel Caesars Palace in May 2018.
Cuschieri resigned in November 2020.
In March last year, an internal ethics probe led by now-Standards Commissioner Joseph Azzopardi, found that Cuschieri had breached the MFSA's hospitality guidelines, which dictate that is it "not appropriate" to accept "expensive or exclusive" hospitality invitations.
He was also found to have breached the ECB's Code of Conduct for high-level European Central Bank Officials, which are also applicable to Malta.
In reaction, Cuschieri had said that he had "reservations" on the conclusion reached that he had breached the financial regulator's code of conduct, claiming that the interest of Tumas Group and its subsidiaries did not fall under the MFSA's oversight.