Tourism minister refuses to provide wedding bills, says it is a ‘private matter’

Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo, who a few weeks ago wed his former private secretary Amanda Muscat, during the same weekend when his ministry spent €4 million of public funds on a Film Awards ceremony, is refusing to name the suppliers of services to his lavish wedding and publish all related invoices and proof of payment.

Following revelations by The Shift about the gross conflicts of interest the minister had in the organisation of his wedding at Manoel Island and Manta by the Sea in Sliema, Minister Bartolo was asked to supply a full list of service providers for his wedding party and payments made.

Despite the minister’s public statement that he had nothing to hide, saying all payments were made from the couple’s private funds, he is refusing to provide the necessary evidence.

The minister insisted this was “a private matter” despite abounding concerns that he abused his position to plan a wedding that would be difficult to afford on a minister’s salary.

“All services procured by me and/or my wife were paid out of our private funds. With all due respect, I kindly ask you to stop this fishing expedition into our private matters,” the minister said.

The Shift pointed out to the minister that due to his public role and the fact that he chose to hold his wedding on the same weekend as the Golden Bee Awards, financed by his ministry, he was obliged to be accountable and transparent. Minister Bartolo didn’t budge.

“If this is not a fishing expedition, then send me specific questions, and I will answer. Just like the questions about the cake have been answered,” he replied.

Bartolo was referring to separate questions about the massive floating cake he had for his wedding, which he denied was supplied by the Institute for Tourism Studies within his ministry.

Conflicts galore

The Shift reported that on the same weekend as the Golden Bee Awards, held at Manoel Island, Minister Bartolo and his former private secretary also held their wedding at the same venue, which was already decorated with props, stages, sound, lights, and other services for Film Commissioner Johann Grech’s film awards ceremony.

At the end of the civil ceremony, some 150 guests were transported by The Fernandes, a tourist boat owned by the Zammit Tabona hoteliers, to join several other hundreds of guests at the Fortina Hotel’s lido, named Manta by the Sea, and managed by DB Group, another major tourism operator.

In addition, a barge supplied by Cassar Shipyard was installed at Manoel Island to transport his guests to the Seabank venue.

Both Fortina and DB Group are regular clients of the Malta Tourism Authority and the Tourism Ministry and depend on them for various permits authorised by the same minister.

The party at Manta, described by guests on social media as “lavish” and “extraordinary”, involved another set of services, including providers of sound, lights, stages, decorations, including a floating cake on the pool’s surface, catering and an impressive fireworks display supplied by the Mellieha’s fireworks factory.

Minister Bartolo hails from Mellieha, the district that elects him.

Most of these providers are the same and are used regularly by the ministry and its agencies, particularly the Film Commission and the MTA, for work in connection with their events.

On the occasion of Minister Bartolo’s wedding, the same suppliers were also providing their services to the Film Commissioner’s awards night, paid for by Bartolo’s ministry.

Even the musicians playing at the minister’s wedding, which included the Palace String Orchestra and singer Aidan – who happens to be managed by Film Commissioner Johann Grech – are regular recipients of funds from Bartolo’s ministry.

Some of the suppliers, who spoke to The Shift on condition of anonymity described the minister as “either naïve or crazy”.

“It was obvious that the wedding date coinciding with the Film Awards was going to raise eyebrows. Yet the minister went along despite warnings from members of his secretariat,” they said.

While denying that he had planned his wedding to coincide with the Film Awards, Bartolo defended the €4 million spend by Johann Grech, including a 10-minute film, in which Grech also participated as an actor, and cost taxpayers over half a million to produce, according to reports.

A number of ministers, including the prime minister, attended Bartolo’s wedding.

The tourism ministry has become one of the least transparent in Robert Abela’s administration while spending hundreds of millions of public funds.

ADPD – The Green Party has asked the Standards Commissioner to investigate the matter.