The Malta Bowling Association has announced that Joseph Baldacchino has resigned from his position as the Association’s Public Relations Officer and a committee member of the same Association following his court conviction for misappropriation of funds.
This decision, although regrettable, was prompted by revelations published today in the Times of Malta, which led to his resignation. The Maltese courts found Mr. Baldacchino guilty of misappropriating public funds. Due to reasons internal to the Association but vital for preserving the integrity of our mission, we have swiftly acted to remove Mr. Baldacchino from his role.
Mr. Joseph Baldacchino joined the committee recently, and unfortunately, no details of his pending court case were disclosed to us. This resolution was not made lightly and was based on a comprehensive review of the circumstances, guided by our dedication to uphold the principles and values of our Association.
We wish to reaffirm our dedication to transparency, accountability, and the values that drive our work. While this transition presents challenges, it also offers an opportunity for growth and a renewed focus on the objectives that bind us together.
As we progress, we wish to convey our appreciation to Mr. Joseph Baldacchino for his contributions and reaffirm our commitment to advancing the interests of our community.
Joseph Baldacchino misappropriated agency funds and resources for personal projects at his home and on his boat. The ex-CEO of the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers (AWAS) was found guilty of public fund embezzlement after a court revealed that he utilised agency assets and staff for personal tasks at his residence and on his boat.
Joseph Michael Baldacchino, aged 57, held the position of chief executive at AWAS from 2016 to 2018.
He faced charges following a probe by the Financial Investigation Directorate within the Internal Audit and Investigation Department, which discovered he used agency resources to obtain personal items and engaged AWAS staff in private tasks, occasionally during official work hours.
‘Reimbursement meal’ The court noted one instance where he submitted a €38.75 receipt for reimbursement after dining with an employee at a Ta’ Xbiex restaurant.
During questioning, Baldacchino initially claimed he took a female employee out for lunch as a gesture of appreciation for her efforts, explaining to the police that she had saved the agency “thousands of euros”.
When the woman was summoned to provide testimony, she refuted claims of having ever attended the lunch with him.
During cross-examination, Baldacchino altered his approach, stating it was not the employee he dined with but rather the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
He explained that he did this because the permanent secretary had specifically prohibited using agency funds for meals unless they involved agency personnel.
Choosing to disregard these directives, he argued against them, citing the UNHCR head as a significant figure in migration matters.
Baldacchino mentioned he submitted the meal’s expense for petty cash reimbursement, claiming instead to have shared the lunch with the female employee.
‘Ħal Far cleaner utilised for boat maintenance’
Another event involved an individual employed by the agency as a cleaner at the Ħal Far open centre, earning €4 per hour.
It was determined that this man, a third-country national residing in the Ħal Far tent village at the time, received monthly payments after submitting an attendance sheet approved by the agency’s financial department.
The cleaner gave evidence that on June 14, 15, and 17 of 2017, the defendant’s son collected him from the tent village and transported him to a garage in Kalkara, where he spent approximately 26 hours cleaning Baldacchino’s boat.
The cleaner mentioned that he was not compensated for his work and instead recorded the hours spent at the Kalkara garage on his timesheet, as he hadn’t been explicitly instructed otherwise.
Baldacchino claimed he had provided his son with €120 in cash to remunerate the cleaner.
The court declared that it found his account of events unconvincing.
According to evidence and witness statements from employees in the agency’s finance department, the financial officer had declined to approve the hours the cleaner documented for those days, leaving a note requesting the CEO’s approval for those hours.
A review of the June 2017 payment to the cleaner revealed that it included the time he spent doing maintenance on Baldacchino’s boat, as determined by the court.
‘CEO appropriated shower tray meant for open centre’ The court was also informed of multiple instances where Baldacchino requested staff to procure tools or materials for him, without reimbursing them directly. Instead, he allowed them to submit receipts for agency reimbursement.
On one such occasion, Baldacchino instructed a senior technical officer to provide him with a shower tray purchased by AWAS for installation at the Marsa open centre. The officer complied and placed it in the vehicle designated for the CEO.
Later, Baldacchino expressed to the same officer his difficulty in finding someone to fit the shower tray, prompting the employee to offer his assistance with the installation.
On a Saturday morning, when they were not scheduled to work, the man and two other employees from AWAS visited Baldacchino’s residence to install a shower tray. Baldacchino recounted in court that he attempted to give the worker €100 for the shower tray, but the offer was declined. In appreciation, he later gifted the trio a bottle of whisky.
The court noted that testimonies confirmed the workers declined any payment for their time and effort in fitting the shower tray, accepting no compensation for their labour.
The same technical officer revealed that Baldacchino had contacted him on separate occasions to purchase a pump for his boat, as well as specific paints and a stainless steel pipe. The agency issued a cheque covering the pump and paints. The pipe was delivered to Baldacchino’s house in Birkirkara, with its receipt filed with the accounts department.
When interrogated, Baldachino conceded that he might have failed to reimburse agency staff for the supplies and tools procured at his behest. He attributed this oversight to being overwhelmed with work responsibilities and addressing numerous issues at the refugee centres that demanded his ongoing attention. The court noted that Baldacchino ultimately failed to provide any evidence to support his assertions of personally paying for these items.
Court condemns ‘repugnant’ conduct In a judgement delivered by Magistrate Rachel Montebello, the court acknowledged that Baldacchino was among the select few who had the authority to approve the agency’s expenses. Consequently, he was fully aware that these expenses had not been settled for the agency’s benefit but for his personal advantage.
Although she recognised Baldacchino’s previously unblemished criminal record and the relatively minor sums involved, the court could not disregard the fact that as CEO, he had exploited his position by systematically utilising agency resources and personnel for his personal interests.
“The behaviour in question is detestable as the defendant clearly violated the trust granted to him to manage funds allocated to the agency for public benefit,” stated the Magistrate.
While recognising that a CEO’s position is inherently stressful and challenging, this does not excuse the systematic misconduct displayed by Baldacchino, as evidenced by the proof presented, she added.
The court convicted him of embezzling public funds and sentenced him to a two-year prison term, suspended for three years.
He was also instructed to reimburse €602 to compensate for the losses incurred by the agency due to his actions.
Past controversy
Shortly after assuming his role in 2016, Baldacchino faced backlash when he employed his son as a support worker at the agency, sparking discontent among staff.
In another episode in 2017, Baldacchino received a warning after it was discovered that he had fabricated a job vacancy to appoint the son of a ministry official at AWAS while he was in charge.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Baldacchino is still engaged with a public organisation and holds a senior management position at the Malta Food Agency.
