Aqra bil-Malti

Malta Arts Council Chairman Albert Marshall has doubled the public funds being paid to Luke Dalli, son of former Labour Minister and outgoing European Commissioner Helena Dalli.

The young lawyer, who has a full-time job in a legal firm he owns together with MFA Vice-President Matthew Paris (DalliParis Advocates), was recently given a lucrative contract to act as the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Marshall’s Arts Council and put on a financial package of almost €60,000 a year.

Dalli worked for Marshall as a student when the latter was the head of Labour’s ONE TV and has publicly referred to his boss as his “life mentor.”

Luke Dalli describes his government employer as his life mentor.

Dalli is a staunch supporter of disgraced former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and was put on the government payroll soon after Labour was elected to power.

When Dalli got his lawyer’s warrant in 2014, Albert Marshall gave him a three-year contract to act as the Arts Council’s legal officer, providing expert advice to board members. He was paid a total of €30,000, including several allowances.

In 2017, Dalli’s definite contract was transformed to indefinite status, meaning that his job is now for life.

Marshall promoted him again last August, this time to COO, doubling his financial package. Besides a basic salary of €43,333 a year, which increases annually, Dalli was also given a list of allowances, including a so-called “responsibility allowance”, that increased his take-home pay to close to €60,000.

Luke Dalli’s new package for 2024.

According to his contract, Dalli is not required to be present at his office on a fixed timetable like other employees. Instead, his contract states that his timetable is flexible and agreed upon with Albert Marshall. Dalli spends most of his time conducting business at his own law firm.

His contract also stipulates that he does not need the consent of his employer to continue his personal business activities, including those of his legal firm.

Dalli is currently a shareholder of various companies managed by his father Patrick, most of them in the construction industry. They include BJD Ltd, P&D Investments Ltd, PLJ Holdings Ltd, Pada Builders Ltd and PLJ Dalli Ltd.

His co-shareholder is his brother Jean Marc, and their father Patrick Dalli is company secretary for all businesses. All of these companies declared a loss in their last published statement of accounts.

Luke Dalli’s latest promotion coincided with his public announcement in the summer that he quit ONE TV after 14 years of producing political programmes.

His public distancing from the Labour Party took place at the same time that his mother, Helena Dalli, pressured Prime Minister Robert Abela to nominate her for a second term as Malta’s EU Commissioner. Abela rejected Dalli and nominated his former Chief of Staff, Glenn Micallef.