Jesmond Saliba is in line to be made Malta’s next commissioner for voluntary organisations, the government indicated on Friday. 

If appointed, Saliba will fill a role vacated by Anthony Abela Medici.

In a statement, the parliamentary secretariat for voluntary organisations said that it was discussing Saliba’s nomination with the parliamentary committee for social affairs. 

Saliba has extensive experience in the public, private and voluntary sectors and is the founder of a policy, communications and strategy consultancy firm. He sits on the board of Dar tal-Providenza and forms part of the management team of Fondazzjoni Sebħ, and also served as president of the Malta Volleyball Association. 

The Office of the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations was set up in 2007, with academic Kenneth Wain becoming the first person to serve as NGO Commissioner.

Wain stepped down from that role in 2018 and was succeeded by forensic science  expert Anthony Abela Medici. 

Malta Today reported on Thursday that Abela Medici handed in his resignation after he was pressured to withdraw a request he made to the National Audit Office to go through the books of around 1,900 NGOs that had not filed their annual returns. 

Correction July 3: A previous version described Abela Medici as a "doctor and forensic expert".