Malta Gaming Authority executive chairman Joseph Cuschieri is to leave the regulator to become the first chief executive of Malta’s Financial Services Authority, reports the Times of Malta.

The appointment is said to have been personally requested by Malta prime minister Joseph Muscat, with the authority restructuring its operations to accommodate the new leadership appointment.

Heathcliff Farrugia, the MGA’s current chief regulatory officer, is expected to take on the leadership of the gambling regulator, supported by Malta Investments Management Company  executive Adrian Said acting as non-executive chairman.

Malta news sources report that a shake-up of the MGA is likely to follow, partly in response to criticism of the authority in relation to Italian-focused licensees that have been indicted in an anti-corruption investigation by Italian prosecutors.