€12 million spent on consultants as traffic gridlock intensifies

Transport Malta made highly lucrative payments to government-connected consultants and advisors as the nation experienced worsening traffic gridlock with no sign of improvement.

Transport Malta and Infrastructure Malta dished out more than €12 million in consultancies over the past five years, much of it by direct order. Most of the beneficiaries are either members of Labour’s inner circle or have close connections with ministers and their assistants.

According to a parliamentary question tabled by PN MP Claudette Buttigieg, Transport Malta forked out more than €10 million in consultancy fees between 2018 and 2022, and Infrastructure Malta, which took over road building, issued more than €2 million.

The mission of the two agencies is to improve transport but most of these fees were unrelated to that mandate.

Chris Cilia, a former Labour candidate who appears regularly on national television programmes and on Labour’s ONE as a commentator, was paid a staggering €422,000 by taxpayers in just five years. He also served — or is still serving — in other government agencies and posts, raking in tens of thousands in additional fees and honoraria.

The consultant who was paid the most is Gabriella Mallia, an advisor on procurement and EU funds. She received €600,000 in five years — €100,000 from TM and another €509,000 from Infrastructure Malta.

The list of consultancies, which TM officials described to The Shift as ‘a list of mostly friends’, included many other familiar names closely associated with the ruling Labour Party.

Adreana Zammit, the daughter of Ian Borg’s right-hand man and chief canvasser Jesmond Zammit, was paid €192,000.

Saviour Balzan was paid €25,200 to act as PR consultant while doubling as an ‘independent’ journalist, and his colleague Karl Stagno Navarra was paid €18,000.

Labour’s auditors RSM received €698,000, and former Labour MP Silvio Grixti, who was asked to resign by Robert Abela before the last election for issuing false medical certificates, was paid €121,000.

Lawyers Alex Scerri Herrera, now Parliamentary Secretary Andy Ellul, Aron Mifsud Bonnici, now Justice Minister Jonathan Attard, Charlon Gouder, Joe Gerada and Maria Cardona (former wife of  Chris Cardona) each made thousands of euros from TM consultancies.

Other large beneficiaries included the traffic consultancy firm Arup, who were paid €1.3 million in fees, audit firm Grant Thorton (€188,000) and legal firms Mamo TCV (€227,000) and Camilleri Preziosi (€237,000).

As Malta experienced a record number of deadly traffic accidents, Road Safety Council Chair Pierre Vella, an F1 racing commentator, was paid €243,000 in five years. No performance results were given to justify his consultancy.

Transport Malta was first headed by former Labour CEO James Piscopo, and later by Joe Bugeja, who was ousted by Robert Abela earlier this year.

The authority was riddled with alleged corruption under the leadership of  former minister Ian Borg, who paid a Labour lawyer based in Rabat almost half a million euros in five years.