Before bowing out of politics, Foreign Minister George Vella ensured his own chief of staff would become Malta’s Ambassador to Ireland, replacing a lower-ranking chargé d’affaires.
Dr Vella’s decision to send Leonard Sacco to Dublin has already been cleared by both the Maltese and Irish governments.
Mr Sacco is a civil servant with decades of experience at the Finance Ministry but who has not served overseas as a diplomat since 1987. He is a trusted aide of Dr Vella's, having worked in his secretariat between 1996 and 1998 and as his chief of staff the previous legislature.
He is expected to assume the ambassadorial post in the first weeks of August.
Though rumours of the appointment have been swirling around the Foreign Ministry for weeks, high-ranking ministry staff have yet to be officially notified of it – contrary to the spirit of ministry regulations which state that notice of foreign postings should be made “as much as possible ahead of the commencement of every such tour of duty.”
When contacted, Dr Vella defended the decision to make his right-hand man an ambassador.
“I am proud of this appointment, it is completely merited,” he told Times of Malta. “Mr Sacco has proved his worth on every possible level and the appointment is completely above board.” He insisted the process to make Mr Sacco an ambassador started “well before anyone had the slightest idea we would be having a general election.”
The now-retired politician said Malta needed an ambassador in Ireland following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union. Ireland has until now formed part of the British High Commissioner’s portfolio, with the Dublin office headed by a chargé d’affaires.
Dr Vella also confirmed that he had handpicked Mr Sacco for the job, saying ambassadors were “like positions of trust”. Diplomats and ministry officials told Times of Malta that a decision had been taken during Dr Vella’s tenure to no longer open posts within Malta’s various embassies to applicants, with ministry staff instead being headhunted for the roles.
Ambassadorial appointments are first cleared by the ministry’s permanent secretary before being signed by the Public Service Commission and Prime Minister.