Whoever spoke to Paul Mifsud Cremona on work-related issues in the last months must have been struck by his sense of urgency “to tie the loose ends” – as he himself put it.
“My days are numbered,” he said repeatedly, as he matter of factly recounted how his illness was draining his life away.
Yet till the very last, he kept working assiduously, going to the office after the strenuous therapy, organising meetings and attending public events.
Since he was appointed Data Protection Commissioner five years ago, he took bold decisions against the political class’s attempts at suppressing information in the public interest through the instrumentalisation of data protection laws.
He also insisted against the mobile phone operators’ refusal to pass on data to police investigators to investigate the arson attacks on journalists’ residences although both Go and Vodafone got their way in the end as the courts upheld their case.
Exactly a month before he passed away last Thursday, Mifsud Cremona attended a Journalists’ Committee seminar on Freedom of Information to speak on the upcoming legislation which he firmly believed in.
Before his appointment as commissioner, he was Chief Executive Officer of the Management Efficiency Unit within OPM. He worked as a public officer for more than 20 years, mostly at the office of the Attorney General.
He is survived by his wife Mary nee Coppini and his children Karl and Roberta.