Ryan Pace receives €58,000 from two ministry contracts as public sector roles multiply

Ryan Pace, a 31-year-old lawyer and former assistant at Prime Minister Robert Abela’s private legal practice, holds two separate contracts under the Ministry for Tourism, The Shift has established.

Despite limited professional experience, Pace currently holds approximately 12 retainers funded by public money. Among these, two distinct contracts are issued by the same Ministry, each with separate remuneration.

Freedom of Information (FOI) requests submitted to various entities reveal that Pace has served as legal advisor to the Tourism Ministry since 2022. The position, awarded under a person of trust contract by former Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo, carries an annual part-time remuneration of €34,000. The contract has since been renewed by Bartolo’s successor, Ian Borg.

In 2023, the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), which falls under the remit of the same ministry, issued Pace a separate four-year contract. This agreement, also signed during Bartolo’s tenure, appoints Pace as the Authority’s legal advisor and Data Protection Officer, including responsibilities for FOI responses.

The contract provides a minimum of €24,000 annually for this part-time role. Additional fees for litigation and other legal work are paid separately from public funds.

Combined, the two positions yield Pace at least €58,000 per annum, excluding payments from other roles awarded by various government entities. He also serves part-time as Chairman of the Malta Gaming Authority.

Alongside these public appointments, Pace maintains full-time employment as a lawyer operating from the Valletta office previously occupied by Abela Advocates, the Prime Minister’s private legal office.

When requested to disclose payments made to Pace, the MTA declined to provide a breakdown.

It remains unclear whether the decision on the FOI request was made by Pace himself, given his dual role as both the Authority’s legal advisor and its designated official for FOI matters.

Recent reporting by The Shift revealed that the Prime Minister has directed ministries not to disclose the identities of individuals employed under personal trust contracts. Several FOI requests and related parliamentary questions seeking this information have been refused.

The Shift has submitted a formal request to the Data Protection Commissioner to investigate the government’s refusal to release information related to public appointments and advisory roles.