Professor Ian Refalo has been appointed president of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAT), according to an Education Ministry press release issued on Saturday morning.

MCAST is a vocational education and training institution established in 2001. It offers 180 full-time and over 300 part-time vocational courses ranging from certificates to Master degrees.

Prof Refalo is a professor of public law, and has served as the dean of the Faculty of Laws at the University of Malta for several years.

Currently, he occupies the post of Ad Personam Jean Monnet Professor at the University of Malta.

He has also worked as a lawyer before the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice.

Prof Refalo was initially selected as a member for the board of the public inquiry into the brutal murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, and was known to be an adviser to then Justice Minister Owen Bonnici.

Current Education Minister Owen Bonnici praised Prof Refalo for his achievements at the University of Malta and his vast experience.

The Government thanked the previous MCAST president, Frederick Schembri, who served in the role for two years “impeccably,” and also thanked Professor Mark Borg, MCAST Vice President who has taken the lead until a new President was found.