The Archdiocese of Malta has been awarded another significant direct order by the government to lease a property in Balluta for €411,000.

The contract signed in August through Aġenzija Sapport was kept under wraps. For unknown reasons, Malta’s National Agency, which offers services to persons with disabilities, did not follow procurement rules by issuing a tender.

Instead, it obtained permission from the finance minister to enter into a direct contract with the Curia.

Confirming the direct order, a spokesperson for Aġenzija Sapport said the property – the address remains unknown – is owned by the Church’s Dar Tal-Providenza.

He said it would be used to operate specialised services during the next 15 years, but he did not provide further details.

The latest government direct order to the Curia.

According to information published in the Government Gazette, the same agency issued two further direct orders to lease private property.

A €131,000 four-year contract was signed with individuals to hire additional office space in Santa Venera. According to the government agency, a support service department near its headquarters was necessary.

The same agency signed a €151,000 contract to lease space at the Conservatorio Vincenzo Bugeja in Santa Venera through another direct order.

“This is a day centre for persons with disability which has been operated by Aġenzija Sapport since 2001 when it was first leased to the agency and various other entities. Following the termination of the contract by the other parties, the contract was revised in 2024,” the spokesperson said.

In November 2023, The Shift revealed the swift closure of the residence, opened in 1880 by philanthropist Vincenzo Bugeja.

The Conservatorio’s programmes were fully financed by the government for €800,000 a year through a public social partnership.

A spokesperson for the Conservatorio had played down the news, stating it was only a management decision related to restructuring, despite allegations of mismanagement at the Conservatorio’s two publicly financed programmes, the Fejda and Jean Antide residences.

During the last few years, the Curia has been striking several financial deals with the government.

In 2023, it signed an agreement with the government to receive €5 million in public funds to restore several churches.

A few months later, during ongoing talks over a 30-year-old agreement on some of the Church’s property, it agreed to be given some €1 million in additional government stocks as part of a compensation agreement.

The government also funds several of the Church’s social initiatives through separate agreements.

When he was appointed in 2015, Archbishop Charles Scicluna championed social issues. However, he has been criticised in recent years for his silence on major issues, including corruption, the exploitation of foreign workers and increasing poverty.

Questions have been raised, even within the Curia, about whether the Archbishop’s sudden change of attitude was related to the millions in government funds received in recent years.

The Archbishop is also supporting the takeover of HSBC by the Church’s bank, APS. This requires final approval from the authorities.