Minister switches canvasser’s contract from photographer to adviser to dodge rules

Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg, who was outed by The Shift last year for putting his canvasser and personal campaign photographer on the public payroll to photograph the minister while travelling the world, has found a way to retain his personal friend while not falling foul of public service rules.

Instead of a ‘contract for service’ given specifically to former l-Orizzont photographer Ray Attard, Borg has now changed his canvasser’s contract into a full-time ‘adviser’ position, generally reserved for experts.

The Office of the Prime Minister has previously specified that ministers should not employ personal photographers but use the shared photography pool available through the Department of Information.

According to his new contract, obtained by The Shift through a Freedom of Information request, Attard is now advising the minister on “photography and videography”.

This comes with a salary increase from €38,400 a year under the ‘contract for service’ to €40,129 a year as an adviser.  According to the contract, Attard has to work a 40-hour week instead of 30.

Perks of his new contract include having no fixed office, being able to work from home, use of a car, and having a communications allowance.

As The Shift previously reported, the ministry has never had any photographer engaged under a contract for service or in an advisory capacity.

Last year, while already on the public payroll, Attard was seen taking pictures of the minister with his constituents during the Dingli feast. When asked about this, the minister insisted that Attard worked free of charge and as a volunteer on weekends.

In 2022, Attard also joined foreign assignments, accompanying the minister on diplomatic missions, such as in Rio de Janeiro and New York, clocking up air miles while taking Borg’s photo with foreign personalities that were promptly posted on his social media channels.

When asked by The Shift about the delegation and expenses related to the Brazil and US trip, the ministry said Borg and Attard travelled together, without any other staff, and that costs were still being calculated.

For some time, the OPM intervened to stop the minister from wasting taxpayers’ funds on flight tickets, accommodation and expenses for his photographer.

Earlier this year, Borg misled parliament when asked about his photographer.

Answering a parliamentary question, Borg insisted that his ministry only spent €24,800 on photography in 2022 and declared he “did not engage any person as a photographer, either full or part-time.”

This, despite the €38,400 contract he gave Attard through an agreement signed on 18 May 2022 by Permanent Secretary Christopher Cutajar.