Marmara lands another €24,000 direct order for ‘research’

Labour’s survey guru Vince Marmara has landed a new contract from another government agency in addition to some €1.2 million already dished out to him or his companies by various ministries and government agencies in recent years.

According to the latest direct orders information published by Jobsplus – the government’s employment agency – Marmara’s company Sagalytics is to provide research services for the agency, including data collection, report writing and design for one of the agency’s projects.

His new contract, which will cost taxpayers €24,000, runs until next January.

Marmara, who made a name for himself through the publication of electoral surveys for Labour-leaning newspapers, has been showered with lucrative government contracts during the Labour administration.

While regularly running expensive polls, conducted on almost a daily basis during the electoral campaign, Marmara was given some 28 direct orders in four years, with a turnover of more than €1.2 million from public funds.

Marmara has consistently declined to explain who was funding his polls, which are used regularly by Labour both for its internal projections and for publicity and electoral confidence building.

Also, The Shift has revealed that for the last seven years, Marmara was also receiving a retainer of more than €4,200 a month from the Malta Gaming Authority. Engaged through a direct order, it is unclear what type of research Marmara has conducted for the gaming regulator over seven years.

Meanwhile, Jobsplus, under the chairmanship of Charmaine Cristiano Grech, a lawyer-canvasser of former Minister Evarist Bartolo and a former GWU official, issued several other direct orders during the first half of this year.

Economist Stephanie Fabri, who the government has recently appointed onto the board of the Malta Stock Exchange, was given three direct orders in three months worth over €24,000 on work connected to the agency’s annual report.

Tens of thousands of euros were also spent on massive employment advertising campaigns on billboards and television stations, particularly on PBS, even though the government boasts of ‘full employment’.

Even the driver of the agency’s CEO Alexia Vella was hired through a direct order, although the agency is known for having a raft of extra drivers and messengers.

The agency falls under the political remit of Finance Minister Clyde Caruana, who last week asked ministers to cut down on their expenses to control increasing public debt levels, soon expected to reach an unprecedented €9 billion.