Tourism minister Clayton Bartolo cast doubt on whether a Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) consultant’s contract was written by him, yet avoided confirmation on the contract's original drafter.

“I cannot say because, at the time, I was not a minister,” Bartolo said on Wednesday as he was entering Parliament.

However, the minister defended the contract and emphasised that the MTA is getting its “money’s worth” when it comes to the consultant’s contract.

Clayton Bartolo: "I don't know where you got the idea that Ryan Pace wrote his own contract." Video: Matthew Mirabelli

On Tuesday, The Shift reported that MTA consultant Ryan Pace’s 2020 contract was drafted by Pace rather than by the authority and included luxurious perks such as five-star accommodation and business class tickets for his MTA-related trips.

The contract, written in the first person, also included clauses that swerve Pace’s legal responsibilities for any MTA advice given and that all legal burdens fall upon the authority.

“I don’t know where you got the idea that Ryan Pace wrote his own contract,” Bartolo said, defending the consultant as one who gives good advice and is worth what his contract pays him – a minimum of €24,000 a year, according to The Shift.

When pushed on Pace’s involvement in drafting the contract, Bartolo remained firm that the consultant’s relationship with the MTA is a positive one, but refused to confirm or deny whether the contract was written by Pace as he was not a minister when it was signed.

The first-person tense that the contract is written in is “irrelevant”, Bartolo said, and the only relevant factor is Pace’s performance with the MTA.

Concerning the lack of legal liability Pace’s contract awards him, Bartolo placed his faith in the consultant.

“I can assure you that the advice Dr Pace gives is good.”

After graduating, Pace began working for Abela Advocates, the Prime Minister's law firm, as an intern and has since achieved multiple high-standing roles within the government.

Aside from his MTA duties, Pace was recently appointed as the Malta Film Commission’s deputy chairperson. He currently serves on the Malta Gaming Authority’s board of governors and is also on the board of directors of ARMS Ltd, Gozo Heliport Ltd, Malta Government Investments Limited and Malta Investment Management Company Ltd.

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