Schembri’s ministry spent €55,000 on photography, media in election year

Economy Minister Silvio Schembri has once again been economical with the information supplied to Parliament, this time on the amount of taxpayers’ funds he spent on his own publicity in the last election year.

The minister has told Parliament that he does not employ a photographer at the ministry but said in reply to Opposition MP Jerome Caruana Cilia that it had contracted various ‘media services’ related to the publicity of the minister’s activities in 2022, which include photography services, up to a total cost of almost €35,000.

While the amount of money spent by Schembri on his own publicity is extraordinary when compared to that of other ministers, more information published in the Government Gazette paints a different picture than that Schembri showed Parliament.

The list of direct orders awarded by Schembri’s ministry over the first six months of 2022 shows how the media-savvy minister issued at least three different direct orders related to his self-promotion.

Franklin Cachia, a wedding photographer and one of the minister’s canvassers, was awarded a €35,000 direct order to deliver unspecified media services to the ministry.

Cachia has no media experience and served as the Minister’s photographer during his personal campaign, where he formed part of ‘Team Silvio’. Ministers are excluded from using taxpayer funds for their political campaigns.

Gareth Degiorgio, a photographer who has also branched out into television production for ONE TV and PBS, was awarded a separate direct order to provide Schembri with videography services. That direct order cost taxpayers €9,900.

Schembri also awarded a €9,900 photography tender, just under the €10,000 direct order threshold, for Eleven 54 Studio.

This company’s studio is based at the OZO Group offices in Qormi, the minister’s district, and has Fortina Group CEO Edward Zammit Tabona as one of its directors.

Schembri is responsible for the Lands Authority, which has negotiated a new deed with Zammit Tabona for a new sea concession near the Fortina that will turn a popular bathing area into a private yacht marina.