Robert Arrigo (4 December 1954 – 18 October 2022) was a Maltese tourism operator and politician who served a member of the

House of Representatives of Malta A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

for the Nationalist Party from 2003 until his death in 2022. Between 2017 and 2022 he was also deputy leader for party affairs of the Nationalist Party. Arrigo was a prominent businessman in Malta and was a previous mayor of

Sliema Sliema ( ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. ...

as well as chairman of Sliema Wanderers and vice-president of Neptunes WPSC. He was educated at Stella Maris College,

Balzan Balzan () is a municipality in the Northern Region, Malta, Northern Region of Malta, and together with Attard and Lija, forms part of the "Three villages of Malta, Three Villages" (). The village originally consisted of a group of small dwellin ...

, St. Aloysius' College,

Birkirkara Birkirkara (abbreviated as B'Kara or BKR) is a city in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta. It is the second most populous on the Malta (island), island, with 24,356 inhabitants as of 2020. The town consists of five autonomous pari ...

, and the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association, ...

Msida Msida (, ) is a harbour town in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta with a population of 7,623 (2021). Location The town is located just west of Valletta on the northeast coast of Malta. The neighbouring towns of Msida are Ta' ...

Business

Arrigo's main business interests were within the travel and tourism industry, in fact he was the director of Robert Arrigo & Sons Limited, which is a Quality Assured Destination Management Company (DMC) and an incoming tour operator in Malta. He also operated a number of hotels on the island.

Politics

Arrigo was elected the first mayor of

(in the interests of the Nationalist Party) in 1994, and confirmed with the highest count votes in Malta in 1997, 2000 and 2003, breaking his own record from one election to the other. Later on in 2003, Arrigo was elected to the 10th Maltese Parliament, in the interests of the Nationalist Party on the first attempt from the Malta 10th electoral district. He has worked in some committees and parliamentary groups. He previously also held a post within the party itself. Independently, he has also served as a National Tourism of Malta board advisor. In 2006, his wife Mary (aka Marina) Arrigo, was elected as the first woman mayor of

. On 13 December 2022, he was posthumously awarded the Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika by then-President

George Vella George William Vella (born 24 April 1942) is a Maltese politician who served as the 10th president of Malta from 2019 to 2024. A member of the Labour Party (Malta), Labour Party, he previously served as Deputy Prime Minister of Malta, deputy p ...

Football

Arrigo first served as a chairman of Gżira United of nearby

Gżira Gżira () is a town in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta. It is located between Msida and Sliema, also bordering on Ta' Xbiex. It has a population of 11,699 as of January 2019. The word ''Gżira'' means "island" in Maltese ...

. He then became active within Sliema Wanderers. In 1996 he was elected as a chairman of Sliema Wanderers, and he proved quite successful winning a number of trophies. He also had several controversies, the most renowned being a bitter relationship with Dr. Joe Mifsud, the chairman of the

Malta Football Association The Malta Football Association (MFA; ) is the governing body of football (soccer), football in Malta. The Association organises the Maltese Football League for both men and women and several other competitions, including knockout competitions ...

, and chairmen of some other clubs. In 2008, he stepped down from the chairmanship post and said that he will contribute by offering to sponsor the club.

References

External links

Robert Arrigo & Sons Limited
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arrigo, Robert 1954 births 2022 deaths Mayors of places in Malta Members of the House of Representatives of Malta Nationalist Party (Malta) politicians People from Sliema University of Malta alumni 20th-century Maltese politicians 21st-century Maltese politicians Recipients of Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika