Gozo ministry insists on defying order to publish €700,000 contract to minister’s friend

The Gozo Ministry is continuing to defy a binding order by Malta’s Information and Data Protection Commissioner (IDPC) to publish contracts linked to a €700,000 direct order granted to architect Godwin Agius, a close associate of Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri.

Permanent Secretary John Borg, who personally authorised the procurement in question, has argued that releasing the details would deter architects from working with the ministry in future.

He has also cited confidentiality clauses in the contracts and warned that disclosure could expose the ministry to legal action.

These claims, however, have already been rejected by the IDPC, the Tribunal, and the Court of Appeal.

The Tribunal is currently reviewing an appeal lodged by the ministry against the Commissioner’s ruling, which was triggered by a Freedom of Information request submitted by The Shift.

Borg, who has previously been criticised by the National Audit Office for “habitually bypassing procurement rules”, submitted an affidavit to the Tribunal defending the ministry’s refusal to comply.

At the centre of the controversy is a €722,000 direct order awarded to Agius to oversee the reconstruction of a key road between Nadur and Għajnsielem — a project that ultimately took five years to complete and cost taxpayers €10.5 million more than planned.

Allegations have also surfaced that works were carried out on adjacent private properties, though the ministry denies that public funds were misused, despite the same contractor being employed for both.

An audit by the National Audit Office raised significant concerns about procurement irregularities in the project, including the direct award to Agius, which fell under Borg’s oversight.

A web of political ties

Architect Godwin Agius shares longstanding ties with Minister Clint Camilleri.

Both previously worked at Med Design, a firm owned by former Labour minister Charles Buhagiar. Agius is also a longtime Labour Party insider, having served as a counting hall agent during elections.

Since Labour’s return to power in 2013, Agius has secured several public appointments, including posts at Enemalta and Engineering Resources Ltd.

Simultaneously, his private architectural practice has benefited from numerous direct government contracts.

His relationship with Camilleri has deepened further since the minister also assumed responsibility for Planning.

In addition to the Nadur contract, Agius has been entrusted with other infrastructure projects in Gozo, even while serving full-time as a senior project manager at the Gozo Regional Development Authority — a satellite agency of the ministry.

In 2023, Camilleri appointed Agius to the Executive Committee of the Planning Authority. Recent revelations by The Shift also show that Agius used an office in Gozo owned by the minister’s mother.

Agius’s reach extends beyond Gozo. He chairs Interconnect Malta, the body overseeing the €200 million second interconnector project with Sicily, and also leads the Building and Construction Authority’s licensing committee.