EXCLUSIVE: Johann Grech’s secret list for gala revealed

The vast majority of the 1,500 guests invited to the annual Golden Bee Awards gala had little to no connection to the film industry — instead, most were closely tied to the Labour Party and senior figures in government, according to the invitation list obtained by The Shift.

Minister Owen Bonnici and Film Commissioner Johann Grech have refused to publish the list of those invited despite renewed controversy over an event costing millions, which is largely seen as a vanity fair for the film commissioner.

The Shift acquired the list through sources and it reveals that senior government Ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana and most members of the Cabinet stayed away, clearly snubbing Grech, fearing a public backlash.

The only Cabinet members accepting Grech’s invitation apart from Bonnici were Economy Minister Silvio Schembri and Environment Minister Miriam Dalli.

Several low-ranking Labour MPs, including Keith Azzopardi Tanti, Naomi Cachia, Cressida Galea, Carmelo Abela, Katya Degiovanni, Abigail Camilleri, Ray Abela, Malcolm Agius and MEP Daniel Attard also attended.

The Shift is informed that Grech also invited several Opposition MPs. All turned down the invitation.

Although Prime Minister Robert Abela steered clear of the controversial event, he was still represented at Grech’s main gala table — one of 160 — by his wife, Lydia Abela, and his top aide, Mark Mallia, effectively lending legitimacy to Grech’s event.

The list of invitees, analysed by The Shift, included hundreds of Labour senior figures, all accompanied by their partners and in some cases even their children, including all the members of the OPM’s secretariat and officials of the Labour Party and employees at its Hamrun headquarters.

These included Labour CEO Leonid McKay, former CEOs George Azzopardi and Gino Cauchi, Minister Miriam Dalli’s sister, Veronique, and her law firm partner, Dean Hili; Luke Dalli and his entire family; spokesperson Norma Saliba, and Manuel Micallef, among others. (The full list is available below.)

Grech and Bonnici also ensured the involvement of as many senior government officials as possible, seemingly to deflect internal criticism over their extravagant and unchecked spending — much of it carried out through direct orders that appear to sidestep public procurement regulations.

The presence of State Advocate Chris Soler, Principal Permanent Secretary Tony Sultana, and several other permanent secretaries raised eyebrows, as these are officials tasked with upholding government procurement rules. They included the OPM’s Joyce Cassar, Joyce Dimech, Joseph Caruana, Matthew Vella, and the former tax commissioner Marvin Gaerty.

Even the Vatican was represented by the Deputy Head of the Santa Sede mission in Malta, Monsignor Ervin Lengyel.

This year marked the third consecutive gala dinner, which has continued to grow despite widespread criticism and scandal over excessive spending — with top government officials allowing the Film Commissioner to act unchecked.

This year, most of the spending was camouflaged through a contract for event management, given by the Film Commissioner to Greatt, a company owned by former NET TV chief Anton Attard and former PN official Mark Grech, known as ‘il-Guru‘.

The same company received hundreds of thousands of euro over the last three years to produce local reality TV programmes. These funds are disbursed through a scheme controlled by the Film Commissioner.

The Shift is informed that VIPs were transported to the venue aboard Azimut yachts departing from Sa Maison and treated to a lavish meal with fine wines, procured for tens of thousands of euro from Xara Caterers.

A separate after-party was later held for a select group of distinguished A-list guests, where French wines costing hundreds of euro per bottle, Premier Cru champagne, and imported delicacies were served, acquired through Atelier Michael Tabone.

Dozens of actors, film crews, and foreign journalists (mostly bloggers) were flown to Malta and lodged in five-star hotels, all at the expense of taxpayers. The international impact of the bloggers’ reporting was as limited as their influence – basically, they came for a party they could never afford to attend.

Russell Crowe, of Gladiator fame, arrived in Malta with a private plane, with Grech extending an invitation to all his family, including his children and their girlfriends.

See the complete list of guests (Excel download): Malta Film Awards Secret Guest List