Disgraced Newspaper Boss ‘Will Not Be Paid’ For His Appointment To American University Of Malta
The embattled former managing director for Allied Newspapers Adrian Hillman has just been appointed to the board of trustees for the controversial American University of Malta in a pro-bono position.
It is being reported that senior government officials had recommended Adrian Hillman as a potential trustee, and will now be just one of two Maltese people – the other being Bank of Valletta chairman Taddeo Scerri – to join former Jordanian Prime minister Taher Masri, as well as John Ryder, the provost of the university, on the board. The chair of the board is Prince Jean of Luxemburg.
Hillman will be joining the board, though he “won’t be earning a penny,” he told Lovin Malta. He said that the AUM had approached him earlier this year, and he had accepted the role because he is “passionate” about teaching and is “trying to rebuild my life.”
Hillman has been a lecturer for over two decades, and is currently a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Malta.
Hillman was named in the Panama Papers cache, where it was reported that he was the owner of a hidden company in the British Virgin Islands, and became the subject of a magisterial inquiry into money laundering involving the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Keith Schembri. He resigned from the Allied Group soon after.
The AUM has also been mired in controversy from the beginning, having been planned on ODZ land, had issues with its university accreditation, and for using the word ‘American’ in their name when owned and financed by Jordanians.
AUM sources have said that members of the faculty were “very surprised” with Hillman’s appointment, and were unsure whether having his name affiliated with their institution was good in the longterm.
The university opened its doors for the first time this September, but the official tally of students enrolled has yet to be released. The university offers four courses, but little else is known, and Provost Ryder himself has admitted that recruitment was turning out to be “very challenging”.
What do you think of this appointment, and the American University of Malta? Let us know in the comments below.
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