OSCE meeting another opportunity for direct orders by Minister Ian Borg

A two-day OSCE ministerial summit meeting held last December in Malta, initiated by Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg, served as an opportunity for the minister to issue direct orders to his friends, party loyalists and acquaintances.

An incomplete list of the direct orders given for the meeting, held at the Ta’ Qali tent known as the Malta Trade Fairs and Conventions Centre (MFCC), indicates that the ministry did not hold back on expenses.

Although the data published in the Government Gazette so far omits significant costs like the hiring of the MFCC venue and substantial transport and logistics expenses, one of the most notable direct orders was a €50,000 contract awarded to the local fashion brand Carisma Collections for ties, scarves, and candles. These items were distributed as gifts to conference participants.

So far, the total cost of the two-day event to taxpayers exceeds half a million euros, and more bills are still pending.

Two security companies owned by Stephen Ciangura from Rabat, Minister Ian Borg’s primary constituency, benefited the most.

One of Ciangura’s companies, Executive Group, received two direct orders totalling over €120,000 for the two-day event, while another company he manages, Gold Guard Security,  with his Romanian partner Georgiana Lupo, was awarded an additional €115,000 for the event’s security needs.

7ThirtyEight Ltd, a newly registered company in 2023, received a €38,000 direct order to provide the stage, lighting, and sound for a mini-conference associated with the meeting. Maya Galea, unknown within the sector, owns the company. However, Maya’s father, Chris, is a close friend of Ian Borg and works in the sector.

Galea, a PL activist, previously worked for disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat as his Head of Events at Castille. After joining Robert Abela’s faction within Labour in 2022, Galea received a consultancy contract from Transport Malta, among other direct orders.

While foreign ministers and other delegates typically arrange and pay for their travel to such diplomatic events, this was not the case for some at the Maltese conference.

Malta’s new national airline, KM Malta, was paid €82,000 by the Foreign Office to transport participants from Brussels, with no details provided about who received this benefit or why.

Ian Borg is known for issuing direct orders, particularly during his tenure as head of Transport Malta. Prime Minister Robert Abela moved him to the Foreign Ministry in 2022, where procurement needs are generally lower than in other ministries.

Top Labour insiders view Borg as a serious contender to succeed Robert Abela whenever the opportunity arises.