Lawyers defending the disgraced former prime minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri, against money laundering and fraud charges have been placed on a Malta Film Commission retainer.

The Commission is headed by Johann Grech, a former Castille colleague of Joseph Muscat’s once right-hand man.

In yet another example of MP Rosianne Cutajar’s admission that “everyone is pigging out” (kulħadd jitħanzer), The Shift has discovered a contract signed last year that awarded the former OPM chief of staff’s lawyers – Edward Gatt and Mark Vassallo – a €10,000 annual retainer.

The same lawyers are currently defending Rosianne Cutajar in court.

The contract, issued through a direct order last year, was signed with PACTA – Gatt Vassallo & Associates and granted the firm €83 an hour to “provide legal and advisory services”.

PACTA is owned by three lawyers – Edward Gatt, Mark Vassallo and Ismael Psaila – who were all given retainers when Keith Schembri controlled Castille.

Johann Grech, who was Muscat’s marketing manager at Castille before being made Film Commissioner, awarded the firm the direct legal services contract despite one of its partners’ conflicts of interest.

Vassallo is also the board secretary and legal adviser for Malta’s state broadcaster PBS.

The raft of text messages between Cutajar and Yorgen Fenech published this week by author Mark Camilleri mention another PACTA partner, Edward Gatt.

According to Cutajar, Gatt had a falling out with former economy minister Chris Cardona, and they are no longer on speaking terms. Gatt and Cardona were childhood friends.

The Malta Film Commission’s contract with PACTA runs until the end of next month. It is unclear whether it will be renewed automatically.