ARMS Ltd, the government’s water and electricity billing entity, is forking out hundreds of thousands of euro to a private customer care company every year despite employing a full-time ‘army’ of customer care officials.

This results in taxpayers paying exorbitant fees for a job that should be done by ARMS’ full-time employees.

For example, according to new information in parliament following PN MP Ryan Callus’ questions, ARMS is paying Centrecom Ltd €4.17 for every email customer answered and €2.66 per message on social media.

Social media monitoring costs €32.95 per hour, among other costs.

Rates charged by Centrecom to ARMS Ltd for customer care services.

The full-time officials employed by ARMS to handle these queries pass most of these emails and messages on to the private customer care company.

Research conducted by The Shift shows that Centrecom was given a direct order in 2022 worth over €1.6 million over four years.

The Shift is informed that payments have already exceeded the original value of the contract.

The same company was used in the past years as a conduit for indirect state aid to the now-defunct Air Malta as the government was dishing out multi-million-euro direct orders to Centrecom.

Centrecom is based in government-leased offices at the Mosta Technopark and is c0-owned by Leslie Cassar, a former agent of the defunct national carrier in Australia. Cassar still enjoys close contact with the government and the local aviation industry.

The current KM Malta Airlines Chairman, David Curmi, who is paid a staggering €21,500 a month, sits on the board of Centrecom.

Centrecom is known to have other arrangements with different government entities, all of which are given through direct orders.

ARMS Ltd is managed by George Azzopardi, a former Labour Party CEO, and Marisa Ciappara, the treasurer of the same party in government.