The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has reportedly chosen lawyer Ryan Pace as its new chairman.
Pace was appointed Vice Chairman of the MGA in 2020 by Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela and previously worked as a lawyer for the island law firm Abela Advocates.
His areas of legal expertise include labor law, civil and commercial litigation, planning and environmental law, arbitration and civil law.
Pace, who is in his early 20s, also sits on the board of directors of several government agencies, committees and state-owned companies.
These include the Mediterranean Offshore Bunkering Limited, Engineering Resources Limited, Film Finance Malta Limited and the Malta Film Commission, as well as a number of other major organizations.
In his new role as Chairman of the MGA, Pace will oversee the regulator's strategic development in line with policy and strategic objectives.
However, it is assumed that Pace has no experience in gambling regulation.
Reflecting on the appointment, RB Capital co-founder Julian Buhagiar said he was disappointed with the choice given Pace's inexperience with regulation.
"This is a really bad result due to the recent scandal surrounding the previous chairman, who was forced to resign and is now facing a criminal charge of alleged influence peddling with an alleged murder suspect," Buhagiar told the agency. EGR .
“The authoritative body should look for someone to increase its authority, and not vice versa,” he added.
The Malta Gaming Authority is responsible for overseeing transactions worth hundreds of billions of euros. Ryan Pace's only qualifications are a recent law degree, that he worked for the prime minister's firm, and that he is an activist in the ruling party. Now he is in charge of MGA. https://t.co/kTKKrTleNs
— Matthew Caruana Galizia (@mcaruanagalizia) April 21, 2021
Pace replaced former MGA chairman Heathcliff Farrugia, who left the MGA in October along with chief regulator Carl Brinkat Peplow.
Farrugia faces criminal charges over his relationship with disgraced Maltese businessman Jorgen Fenech, who was implicated and charged in the 2017 murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.