Trustin Farrugia Cann appointed new head of Infrastructure Malta

Infrastructure Malta will from today be operating under a new CEO as Trustin Farrugia Cann, an electrical engineer by profession who has served on several boards of state agencies, including Enemalta.

It is hoped that Ing. Farrugia Cann will bring a level of stability and discretion to an agency that regularly makes it to the headlines.

Previously employed at the Water Services Corporations, where he was in charge of various projects including renewable energy sources and energy-efficiency works, Ing. Farrugia Cann also has experience at the Energy and Water Agency, as well as at MCAST as a lecturer.

He graduated with a Master of Science at James Madison University in Virginia, USA.

However, Ing. Farrugia Cann is better known to the public as a FIFA-licensed referee with almost 12 years of experience. He was named the Malta Football Player Association’s Referee of the Year in 2020. Earlier this year, he was also entrusted with refereeing a UEFA international friendly between Spain and Albania.

His refereeing experience may come in useful as he seeks to exude authority and calm hot tempers in his new role.

His appointment, effective as from Monday 23rd May (today), sees him replace outgoing Frederick Azzopardi, also an engineer, who led the roads agency since its formation in 2017 and who has frequently come in for criticism by environmentalists, residents, and politicians alike as Malta’s roads underwent a radical transformation, with several large projects ongoing at any time.

The agency was set up following the 2017 election to fulfill an electoral pledge to invest €700 million in Malta’s road network. It has since overseen the Marsa Junction project, the Central Link, and the still-in-development Santa Luċija Underpass.

During Ing. Azzopardi’s tenure, Infrastructure Malta also frequently flouted public procurement rules, with many lucrative direct orders handed to contractors with links to the Labour Party.

Earlier this year he announced he would be leaving the state agency to take up private employment, with a report claiming that his new employer will be James Caterers, a firm owned by JCL Holdings.

In 2017, JCL obtained a €274 million contract to build and provide catering for the Government-run St Vincent de Paul Long Term Care Facility for Active Ageing – a process which was itself mired in controversy, with the National Audit Office highlighting serious shortcomings (downloadable file), missing documentation and oversight failures in the deal and warning that the way it was negotiated stifled competition.

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure, and Capital Projects Aaron Farrugia thanked Ing. Azzopardi for his work throughout the years.