Former PN candidate Frank Psaila has been appointed by the Social Ministry to sit on a board for affordable housing.
The appointment was formally announced in The Malta Government Gazette last week.
Psaila, a former PN information director, recently put in an appearance on Labour-owned ONE TV, during which he praised the “great certificate” given to Malta’s economy by credit rating agency Fitch.
Contacted for comment, Psaila said that the foundation on whose board he was appointed is a joint venture between the government and the Maltese Church.
On his qualifications for the role, Psaila said that his law doctorate focused on the Ecclesiastical Entities Properties Act of 1992.
“When I resigned from the PN, I made it clear, even publicly, that I shall be focusing on my profession and other roles in society.
“Given my academic background and experience in the private and public sector, I believe I can contribute professionally in such a role,” Psaila said.
Both Psaila and his wife, Alessia Psaila Zammit, also an unsuccessful PN election candidate, announced their resignation from the party in April, weeks after its massive election defeat.
Psaila Zammit had also resigned her role as a PN councillor in Siġġiewi.
Psaila came under the spotlight last year over his contacts with murder suspect and 17 Black owner Yorgen Fenech.
He was offered a job by Fenech after failing to win David Casa’s seat in the European Parliament, with the Tumas magnate assuring him prior to the election: “If not a seat in Brussels, you will always have a place ready for you here.”
Psaila was widely seen within political circles as the most likely candidate to dethrone Casa, who dedicated much of 2018 and 2019 calling for proper investigations into journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder and the high-level corruption she was on to.
An inquiry into whether Fenech tried to prevent Casa’s re-election was triggered in June 2020.
The inquiry was launched after former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri claimed in court that then PN leader Adrian Delia had received money from Fenech to sideline Casa.
Both Delia and Fenech deny the claims.