Permanent Secretary mum on how she knew law would change a day before her daughter’s wedding

Permanent Secretary Joyce Dimech refuses to explain how she knew, months in advance, that the government would be changing the law allowing weddings to occur at the Cittadella Ditch, in Gozo, just in time for her daughter’s wedding reception last June.

The Shift raised further questions on possible abuse of power and nepotism after new information emerged.

Documents seen through a Freedom of Information request show that in September 2023, Dimech, then permanent secretary at the culture ministry, applied to use Cittadella Ditch for her daughter’s wedding reception last June. At the time, wedding receptions were not allowed at the venue.

It was only a day before Larissa Dimech’s wedding that Culture Minister Owen Bonnici published a legal notice enabling the venue to be used for wedding receptions.

At the time of the application (September 2023), the Gozo Ministry did not even have an online system, as dictated by the legal notice, allowing for such bookings.

Anyone booking a wedding venue usually has to pay a deposit, but documents show Dimech only paid the €5,000 fee for using the venue weeks after the wedding.

When asked to explain how she knew that the law would be changed many months before the 14 June publication of the legal notice, the permanent secretary, now posted at the home affairs ministry, did not reply.

A few weeks ago, The Shift revealed how Minister Owen Bonnici decided to issue a legal notice, authorising, for the first time, the holding of wedding receptions at the Cittadella Ditch, just 24 hours before the wedding reception of Joyce Dimech’s daughter.

This ‘coincidence’ immediately raised eyebrows, with various wedding industry sources telling The Shift that this was a pre-arranged deal with a strong whiff of blatant nepotism.

Dimech ignored questions by The Shift but claimed on social media that she had followed procedure and denied any abuse of power and nepotism.

Minister Owen Bonnici was one of the guests at Larissa Dimech’s wedding with Ministers Anton Refalo and Byron Camilleri.

Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri, who had to authorise the permit for the wedding venue, was left out of the guest list.

The Standards Commissioner has started investigating this possible abuse following a request by independent candidate Arnold Cassola.

Joyce Dimech acquired a colourful reputation during the last decade, during which she served as permanent secretary to various Labour ministers.

A Gozitan from Victoria, Dimech, was made former Gozo Minister Anton Refalo’s permanent secretary. She was later transferred to other ministries, mainly those held by Owen Bonnici.

Known for her rubber stamping of ministerial orders, Dimech was also involved in the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra scandal, when she was accused of looking the other way when reports of sexual abuse at the government agency landed on her desk.

Dimech also refrained from taking disciplinary action against the chairman of the Arts Council, Albert Marshall, despite a blatant breach of his engagement contract.

Dimech’s Home Affairs Ministry is currently facing scandal after scandal, from alleged rackets at Identity Malta to abuse of third-country nationals and a beleaguered police force.