Cassola calls for probe into minister’s role in Gozo feast dinner

The Chair of political party Momentum, Arnold Cassola, has formally requested the Standards Commissioner to investigate Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo following The Shift’s report that public funds were used to finance a village fundraising dinner in Żebbuġ, Gozo.

The Shift reported that the traditional annual dinner, held as part of the feast of Santa Marija, enjoyed unusual success this year after most of the food, including pork and chicken, along with its preparation and serving, was provided free of charge through Minister Anton Refalo’s intervention. It is understood that the expenses were covered by a government department.

Cassola argued that while state sponsorship of traditional festivities may be acceptable in principle, such support must be extended equally to all towns and villages, rather than concentrated in a minister’s own constituency. He warned that the practice could amount to a corrupt use of public resources.

“In functioning democracies, it is unacceptable for a minister to fund a private event in his own district using taxpayers’ money,” Cassola said, adding that the matter raises serious questions of political ethics.

The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life is now expected to consider whether an investigation into the case should be launched.

The controversy

On 19 August, the traditional annual fundraising dinner held during the feast of Santa Marija in Żebbuġ benefited from an unexpected intervention: Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo arranged—via the public abattoir known as il-Biccerija—to provide all the food, cooking and serving staff free of charge.

Participants paid €22 each with proceeds typically covering the village fireworks organisation’s costs. Yet, this year the surplus was notably larger, thanks to the donated catering.

Refalo’s team even sent an entourage of ‘chefs’ claimed to be from the abattoir, a slaughtering house, to Gozo, arriving in vans loaded with meat products and portable ovens to handle cooking and service.

Minister Refalo attended the event and networked with voters amid growing speculation ahead of the approaching general elections. District rival Minister Clint Camilleri was likewise present. Nationalist figures Adrian Delia and Alex Borg also made appearances in the run up to the PN leadership contest.

After the dinner, the organising committee publicly thanked both the Minister and the abattoir’s Director General, Stefan Cachia, for the complimentary service. The Shift attempted to seek explanations from both but received no replies.

PN Deputy Mayor Daniel Cordina, one of the dinner’s organisers, defended Refalo, stating that “there was nothing wrong” with the government helping voluntary organisations and expressing bafflement about criticism of such support.