Grech refusing to publish details on latest €4 million film festival costs

Film Commissioner Johann Grech again refused to be accountable for his spending, turning down a Freedom of Information request to account for how he spent €4 million on a film festival a few weeks ago.

The Shift asked for a list of contracts he signed for the second edition of the Mediterrane Film Festival, indicating how many were issued through direct orders. The Shift also asked for the publication of all the invoices paid.

The Film Commissioner, known for his extravagant spending and lack of accountability, insisted that he was not bound to give this information.

According to Grech, the requested information “is excluded from the scope” of the transparency legislation. It is not.

The Shift has already filed a complaint against the decision, insisting that Grech is manifestly misinterpreting the law in his latest attempt to escape scrutiny.

This year’s information on Grech’s latest extravagance becomes more significant following revelations by The Shift that the festival’s main event – the awards ceremony – coincided with Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo’s wedding.

The Minister’s wedding was held at the location of the Film Festival – Manoel Island. The Shift revealed that the same contractors used by the Minister for his wedding ceremony were also used concurrently by the Film Commissioner for his festival.

Minister Bartolo insisted the couple had paid for all expenses related to his wedding. Yet he also refused to publish invoices, calling the request “a fishing expedition”.

When asked how he chose to hold his wedding on the same days as the Film festival and at the same location, Minister Bartolo said that it was just a coincidence.

€4 million spent the previous year also hidden

Last June’s film festival was the second edition.

The first, held in the summer of 2023 and costing taxpayers another €4 million, is also shrouded in mystery.

The Minister ignored tens of parliamentary questions tabled by PN spokesman Julie Zahra to give an account of the costs.

The same happened to The Shift’s Freedom of Information requests. The Data Commissioner is currently investigating whether Grech broke the law by rejecting these Freedom of Information requests.

To placate criticism about Grech, including from insiders of the Labour Party, Minister Bartolo tabled a report in Parliament last February, conducted by the RSM audit firm on the perceived economic impact of the 2023 festival. Yet not a single contract or invoice was published justifying the €4 million spent in a few days.

The report was tabled in Parliament on the same day as the controversial debate on the Jean Paul Sofia inquiry, in a clear attempt to dilute its impact.

According to the report, the festival had an economic spin-off of €7 million. Critics rubbished the desktop study, which lacked insight into how the calculations were made.

RSM is an audit firm close to Labour and has audited the Labour Party accounts for years.