An appeals tribunal in Malta has ordered the release of documents concerning the controversial employment of two persons as investment envoys, reported Matthew Vella in Malta Today.
In so doing, the tribunal overturned a decision by the Information and Data Protection Commissioner (IDPC), that upheld Malta Enterprise’s decision not to disclose the contract of employment for investment envoys Sai Mizzi Liang, wife of energy minister Konrad Mizzi, and British national Shiv Nair.
Mizzi Liang was appointed as a trade envoy to Asia, and later consul-general in Shanghai, with an annual €160,000 salary. Nair got a €6,000 fee to assist on energy matters.
“The decision by the appeals tribunal was made after Prime Minister Joseph Muscat published extracts of Mizzi Liang’s contract, following a rare appearance she made as part of a Maltese delegation to China,” reported the newspaper, which had brought the case.
The tribunal ruled that the information is a matter of public interest, rejecting the logic of IDPC Saviour Cachia, who relied on Article 21(5) of the Malta Enterprise Act, which binds its investment envoys to treat “documents and information relating to [Malta Enterprise] as secret and confidential.”
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