The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is continuing to be transformed into what officials describe as a refuge for Planning Minister Jonathan Attard’s political associates and canvassers, with another politically connected official now being ‘parked’ at the authority despite uncertainty over what role he is expected to perform.

The latest addition is Ronnie Vella, a former aide to the disgraced former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who was recently removed from the Planning Authority at the direct instructions of the Office of the Prime Minister.

Multiple sources told The Shift that Vella has now been absorbed into the authority through Minister Attard’s intervention, although employees say they have not been informed of his exact responsibilities.

According to sources, Vella is expected to form part of a team dealing with permits issued by the BCA. However, officials familiar with the authority’s operations said they remain unclear why another senior appointment was considered necessary.

Ronnie Vella

Vella’s transfer is the latest in a growing list of politically connected appointments made at the authority since Attard assumed political responsibility for the beleaguered agency.

At the same time, fresh questions have emerged over the conduct of Matthew Zammit, better known as ‘Il-Funk’, a former Lands Authority official who was given a job at the BCA on a lucrative package despite his controversial past.

Sources told The Shift that Zammit recently crashed a BCA vehicle which, according to officials, he was not entitled to use. Following the accident, the vehicle was withdrawn from his possession.

It remains unclear who authorised Zammit to use the government vehicle and whether taxpayers will ultimately foot the bill for the damage caused.

The latest incident follows further concerns over Zammit’s disappearance from his office during the recent general election campaign.

Multiple sources said that throughout the election campaign, Zammit did not report for work at the BCA and instead spent his time working from the Labour Party headquarters in Ħamrun. It is still unknown who authorised his prolonged paid absence while he remained on the public payroll.

Zammit was previously the subject of a The Shift investigation after he was recruited by the BCA on a package approaching €60,000 despite having been sacked from the Lands Authority following allegations of abuse involving public tenders and government property.

Officials also pointed to Zammit’s close relationship with lawyer Joe Gerada, a long-time political associate of Minister Attard who is frequently seen accompanying the minister despite holding no government position.

Matthew Zammit, il-Funk, got what he wanted.

Gerada is regarded by officials as one of the minister’s closest advisers and an influential figure behind many of the decisions taken within the ministry.

Before Attard entered Cabinet, both he and Gerada worked together in the secretariat of former minister Chris Cardona. Gerada is also well known for his close association with Cardona outside government. He was alleged to have accompanied Cardona to the infamous ‘Acapulco’ brothel in Germany, an allegation he denies.

The BCA has also become home to several other politically connected individuals.

Among them is Mark Barbara from Birkirkara, formerly Chris Cardona’s driver, who is employed by the authority as a person of trust. He has lately become a canvassar of Labour MP Ramona Attard a former colleague of Jonathan Attard at his private legal office.

Another is Deborah Felice, one of Minister Attard’s long-time canvassers and head of customer care, who earlier this year was handed a BCA package worth around €70,000 annually.

As previously reported by The Shift, multiple sources said Felice has never effectively reported for duty at the authority despite her appointment, continuing instead to work primarily from the minister’s offices while remaining on the BCA payroll.

The authority also recruited lawyer Ivan Meli, another close associate of the minister, on a senior management package approaching €90,000.

Sources told The Shift that these appointments have severely damaged morale among career officials, many of whom have spent years building expertise within the authority only to see politically connected individuals parachuted into senior positions.

The growing list of appointments has reinforced concerns that, instead of strengthening the regulator responsible for overseeing one of Malta’s most sensitive industries, the BCA is increasingly being used as a repository for political loyalists. At the same time, experienced public officers are being sidelined and demoralised.