Updated 1.20pm with PL statement
The Public Accounts Committee will be investigating the accounts of all entities that fall under the Ministries for Tourism and Gozo, following a request made by the Nationalist Party.
In a statement on Friday, the PN said that it will be presenting the Auditor General’s report on the Malta Film Commission as well as other entities that fall under the responsibility of these ministries to be examined by the committee.
This PAC is expected to look into all activities spearheaded by the two ministries from 2020 until the present when parliament reconvenes in the new year.
Shadow ministers Darren Carabott, Graham Bencini and Claudette Buttigieg said that the investigation was motivated by the scandal involving former tourism minister Clayton Bartolo and Gozo minister Clint Camilleri, in which they gave Amanda Muscat, Bartolo’s now-wife, a job she was not qualified for and which she did not do.
An investigation by the Standards Commissioner concluded that the ministers abused their power and misspent public funds by doing so.
They said that while the PAC could not issue condemnations or judgements, its role is critical in ensuring transparency, accountability, and oversight of public fund management.
“Given recent revelations of abuses by Labour Government Ministers involving public funds - notably resulting in the resignation of one Minister, while another still resists stepping down - the Partit Nazzjonalista insists on the necessity of bringing this matter before the PAC, the only Parliamentary Committee chaired by the Opposition,” they said.
“The scandal exposed how former Minister Clayton Bartolo and Minister Clint Camilleri colluded to secure a consultancy role worth nearly €70,000 per year for Bartolo's wife, despite her lack of qualifications.”
The PN also flagged several issues in the running of the film commission that were highlighted by the NAO report that should be looked into in more detail, including the commission's failure to provide records of accounts, preceding a full audit of the Malta Film Week from taking place and a failure to demonstrate how it’s multi-million euro expenditure represented a value for money for taxpayers.
“The Partit Nazzjonalista supports strategic investment in the film industry to benefit both local productions and attract international projects. However, it demands full accountability from the Labour Government regarding how public funds are being spent,” they said.
In a reaction, the Labour Party accused the PN of "trying to shift focus" away from questions about Bernard Grech's taxes, his defence of MP Toni Bezzina and Roberta Metsola's inclusion of Kurt Rizzo, a police officer suspected of leaking information about police investigations, as part of her security detail.