Robert Abela’s former assistant takes over Festivals Malta
OPM staff Aaron Zahra has been assigned to head the country’s national festival agency.
Zahra will be replacing Norman Hamilton at the helm of Festivals Malta. At OPM, he was Abela’s close assistant, organizing and managing logistics for most of his events and appearances.
He also chaired the committee in charge of overseeing the papal visit in April.
The festival agency was set up by the government in 2017 to oversee a portfolio of national and international cultural and artistic events, festivals and cultural infrastructure projects.
Zahra’s appointment is the latest in a series of people from Prime Minister Robert Abela’s team to get a job in government.
Last week, Times of Malta reported that another staff member in his office, Ryan Spagnol, 32, would be appointed secretary of the Cabinet. It will be the first time in several legislatures that this post is not in the hands of the head of the civil service.
ONE reporters made big appointments
The secretary has the task of chairing cabinet meetings and overseeing inter-ministerial projects. The office also conducts the internal audit unit and government investigations.
Times of Malta also reported last month that other OPM staff and former ONE reporter Melissa Vella Buhagiar are expected to be placed in charge of the Information Department.
The department plays a central role in organizing logistics and media for major national events such as state visits or elections.
It manages the content on the Maltese government website (www.gov.mt), the public service intranet and all the departmental Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.
Buhagiar was previously a manager at DOI.
Yet another ONE reporter, 26-year-old Trischia Falzon, has been nominated by the OPM to be a director of a public sector entity tasked with overseeing tens of millions of euros in investments between Malta and Libya.
The remuneration for the post is understood to be around € 20,000 per year.
Libyan Arab Maltese Holdings Company Limited was founded in 1975 with equal shares between the Maltese and Libyan governments. It is understood that the nomination was called back after questions about the appointment were sent. Falzon is the partner of Ronald Vassallo, who was installed as the head of communications for the Labor Party by Abela in 2019.
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