Foreign Minister Ian Borg has informed Parliament that he did not engage a photographer to work at the ministry either full-time or part-time even though he did.

In reply to a parliamentary question by Opposition MP Jerome Caruana Cilia, Ian Borg denied he had engaged the services of a photographer.

“My Ministry did not engage any person as a photographer, either full or part-time,” the minister told the House.

But he added that the ministry procured various media services, which included photography and which cost taxpayers €24,800 in 2022.

Borg’s reply was economical with the truth at best given how The Shift has reported that Borg instructed the ministry to place his canvasser and campaign photographer on the ministry’s payroll on 1 May 2022 soon after being named foreign minister.

In fact, through a contract (see here) signed retroactively on 18 May 2022, photographer Ray Attard was given a one-year contract of service for the minister’s photographic requirements for which he was paid €3,200 a month for a 30-hour working week.

The Shift has also reported that Attard – a former employee of MediaToday, which is co-owned by Saviour Balzan who was also a consultant of Ian Borg – also started travelling with the minister overseas and posting photos of Borg from Rio de Janeiro to New York on Borg’s personal social media platforms.

While Minister Borg, informed Parliament that in 2022 he had spent a total of €24,800 for media services, which included photography, the cost does not tally with Attard’s monthly payments.

Attard was also seen accompanying and taking Borg’s photos during non-ministerial activities including visits to village feasts.

When asked, the minister said that, on those occasions, Attard was taking photos on a voluntary basis and was not being paid by the ministry.

The Shift is informed that Borg is the only minister that has engaged a photographer on almost a full-time basis. However, his colleague Economy Minister Silvio Schembri has also put his campaign photographer, Franklin Cachia, on the ministry’s payroll.

Ministers declare spending €125,000 on images

All ministers were asked by Caruana Cilia to declare what they spent on photography in 2022 and it results that over €125,000 of taxpayer funds were spent by ministers on photography.

Schembri outstripped his colleagues by far by spending €34,410 on images in the election year.

He was followed by Ian Borg (€24,800 declared); Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi (€13,200), Clayton Bartolo (€10,147 declared) and the Prime Minister (€9,250).

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri spent the least on photographic services and declared having spent €850 in 2022.

Miriam Dalli, Clifton Grima, Clint Camilleri, Michael Falzon and Julia Farrugia Portelli have not yet made the information requested available to parliament.

On their part, Ministers Chris Fearne and Aaron Farrugia said that photos are taken internally by their communications teams.