Updated 3.30pm with PN spokesperson's comments

Mario Cutajar has been appointed chairman of Heritage Malta, weeks after he announced his retirement as head of the civil service, the second key role within the cultural agency 

Cutajar has a lengthy history with the cultural agency, having worked for it before leading the civil service and also serving on its board as "executive director" since 2018. 

He was given that role a few weeks after the Employment Commission concluded that he had been discriminated against in 2008, when his position as Head of Visitors Service at Heritage Malta was not renewed by its then board of directors.

Cutajar is expected to take over as chairman from Anthony Scicluna, who had been heading the agency since 2020. The government statement announcing Cutajar's appointment made no mention of Scicluna.

The government statement also noted that a new board has been appointed for the cultural agency - but it failed to list the new board members. 

Cutajar retired from the public service at the end of May following a 47-year career. He had been heading the public sector since 2013.

PN spokesperson Peter Agius criticised the appointment, saying "meritocracy is dead". 

"Under Cutajar's watch as principal permanent secretary, a government minister misappropriated Gozitan heritage to make it his own without much of a reprimand while main cultural events became a closed circle for minister's recommendations," he said, saying "scores" of better-qualified people were being sidelined.