Tourism minister is latest Cabinet member to venture into business, led by new wife

Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo is the latest Cabinet member to venture into the hospitality business as he plans to open a new cafeteria in Naxxar Square managed by his newlywed wife.

Situated in Pjazza Vittorja, just across the Church, the cafeteria is undergoing refurbishment works. The minister’s newlywed wife, Amanda Muscat, who also has a government job, is supervising the work. The cafe is expected to open to patrons very soon.

The outlet is situated in what was, until a few months ago, the Naxxar parish’s administrative office. The refurbishment of the cafeteria coincides with a major refurbishment of the building, planned to be turned into a restaurant, including a dining service on the roof.

While the PA permit (00671/23) is nowhere to be seen on the house’s façade as works are ongoing, research by The Shift found that the development application was filed by Tolok (Malta) Ltd, owned by Dmytro Tolok, a Ukrainian citizen. The same company also operates a beer house on Sliema’s The Strand, known as ‘The Brew’.

In reply to questions by The Shift, the minister confirmed his involvement, saying this was his wife’s undertaking.

Minister Bartolo distanced himself from the other ongoing works on the same premises, insisting that he had nothing to do with it and did not even know the Ukrainian developer.

“My wife rented a small cafeteria underneath the property that is being refurbished. The owner is a different person from whoever owns the other property. The cafeteria is a very old place which had been running for a long number of years, but unfortunately has been closed for the past seven or eight years,” the minister told The Shift.

“Having said that, the owner kept paying the relevant licences to the MTA and the Lands Authority – so all permits are in hand and predate my appointment as tourism minister. The current renovations being done in this cafeteria are minor, such as changing electricity and water services, tiles and gypsum,” he added.

The minister also said that while he was not involved in the running of this cafeteria, “for the sake of being transparent please note that we don’t have a separation of estates”.

When asked about permits, the minister said the works were minor and “a planning permit is being requested for any other works which will be carried out on the outside of the premises”.

So far, no application has been submitted.

Other competitors in the area have told The Shift that they expect the new cafeteria to have few problems obtaining the necessary MTA permit to place tables and chairs outside on public land.

The minister did not reply to questions about whether he felt it was appropriate for a tourism minister to compete with other businesses in the area.

The couple got married only last month in a lavish ceremony. She was his secretary.

A cabinet of business

Bartolo is at the centre of controversy due to the lack of transparency on public funds used by the Malta Tourism Authority and the Film Commission. He joins others in Cabinet venturing into business while in office.

Prime Minister Robert Abela set the example by investing in an old house in Xewkija, Gozo, to turn it into a boutique hotel with his wife, Lydia.

In recent years, the Abelas have made a killing from controversial property deals, particularly when they were acting as legal advisors to the Planning Authority.

Other ministers operating flourishing businesses through their wives are Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo, who opened a boutique hotel in Qala with the help of hundreds of thousands of EU funds.

Foreign Minister Ian Borg, who owns a restaurant in Dingli, managed by his wife, among other business ventures.

Other ministers regularly deal with property, including Housing Minister Roderick Galdes, while Minister Silvio Schembri’s wife owns a property development company.