Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo married his former secretary Amanda Muscat a few weeks ago, but he has refused to release the names of the companies who provided services for the lavish wedding, which his ministry spent €4 million of public money on over the weekend, or to release all the associated invoices and proof of payment.
Following exposure by The Shift newspaper of significant conflicts of interest in the arrangements for the Minister’s wedding at Manoel Island in Sliema and Manta by the Sea, Minister Bartolo was asked to provide a full list of the wedding party’s service providers and the amounts paid.
The minister has refused to provide the necessary evidence, despite public statements that all payments were made from the couple’s own funds and that they have nothing to hide.
Despite widespread concerns that he abused his position to plan a wedding that his ministerial salary could not afford, the minister insisted it was a “personal matter”.
“All the services procured by me and my wife were paid for from our own pocket. Please excuse me and stop prying into our private matters,” the minister said.
Shift reminded the Minister that her official role, and the fact that she chose to hold her wedding on the same weekend as the Golden Bee Awards ceremony, which her ministry funds, demanded accountability and transparency from her. Minister Bartolo persisted.
“If this is not a fishing expedition, send me specific questions and I will answer them, just like I already answered the question about the cake,” he replied.
Bartolo was referring to a separate question about a giant floating cake he had prepared for his wedding, which he denied was provided by the province’s tourism institute.
Full of conflicts
The Shift reported that Minister Bartolo and his former secretary got married on the same weekend as the Golden Bee Awards ceremony on Manoel Island, at the same venue, which was already equipped with props, stage, sound and lighting for the film awards ceremony presented by Film Commissioner Johan Grech.
The luxurious venue was prepared for the minister’s wedding by the same company that provided the film awards ceremony.
At the end of the civil ceremony, around 150 guests boarded “The Fernandes”, a tourist boat owned by hotelier Zammit Tabona, to join hundreds of other guests at a lido called “Manta by the Sea” at Fortina Hotel, run by another major tourism operator, DB Group.
Additionally, a barge provided by Kasar Shipyards was deployed at Manoel Island to transport guests to the Seabank venue.
Both Fortina and DB Group are regular clients of the Malta Tourist Authority and the Ministry of Tourism, with both companies relying on various permits granted by the same ministry.
The party at Manta was described by guests on social media as “lavish” and “extraordinary”, and included an array of services including sound, lighting, a stage, decorations including a floating cake in the pool, catering and a spectacular fireworks display provided by Mellieha’s Fireworks Factory.
Minister Bartolo is from Mellieha, the district that elected him.
Most of these providers are the same and are used regularly by the Ministry and its agencies, especially the Film Commission and the MTA, for event-related work.
The same company provided services for Minister Bartolo’s wedding and the Film Commissioner’s Awards night, the expenses of which were covered by Minister Bartolo’s ministry.
Musicians who perform at ministerial weddings, such as the Palace String Orchestra and singer Aidan (managed by film commissioner Johan Grech), also regularly receive funding from Minister Bartolo’s ministry.
Some suppliers, who spoke to The Shift on condition of anonymity, described the minister as “either naive or crazy”.
“The wedding date coinciding with a film awards ceremony would naturally raise eyebrows. But the minister went ahead with it despite warnings from his secretaries,” the people said.
Bartolo reportedly denied planning the wedding to coincide with the film awards, but defended Johan Grech’s €4 million spending on the wedding, including a 10-minute film in which he also acted, costing taxpayers more than €500,000 to make.
Mr. Bartolo’s wedding was attended by many ministers, including the Prime Minister.
The Ministry of Tourism has been one of the least transparent ministries under Robert Abela, despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds.
ADPD – The Green Party has asked the Standards Commissioner to investigate the issue.
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