Owen Bonnici puts Frank Psaila on Arts Council’s payroll

Frank Psaila, until a few years ago the PN’s spokesman and a candidate for the 2019 MEP elections, is drawing up €14,000 a year from the Arts Council as a consultant on PR and marketing.

The direct order, signed in July 2024, is deemed to be part of a “sweetening campaign” by Labour to give the public the impression that former PN activists are crossing the floor. Even the government’s ardent critics are being targeted through lucrative direct order contracts in an attempt to silence them or at least decrease their criticism.

Arts Council officials, who spoke to The Shift on condition of anonymity, distanced themselves from the signing of Psaila’s contract, clearly pointing at Minister Owen Bonnici, responsible for the entity, for this initiative.

They claimed that the order to put Psaila on the Arts Council payroll came directly from Bonnici and insisted that, in reality, Psaila does not do any real work for the Council.

They said that although the Arts Council issues Psaila’s remuneration, his contribution to the Council is unknown as he works directly under the auspices of the Culture Ministry, headed by Owen Bonnici.

Psaila’s contract was signed by Albert Marshall, at the time CEO of the Arts Council, and now replaced by Luke Dalli, the 37-year-old lawyer son of former Labour Minister Helena Dalli.

Psaila resigned from the PN shortly after he didn’t manage to gain a seat in Brussels on the PN’s ticket. He later cosied up to Labour and was given several lucrative contracts and roles, keeping him comfortable on the government’s gravy train. In the meantime, he also started appearing during PL activities, including by interviewing Robert Abela.

Psaila is not the only recruit of the Arts Council through a direct order.

According to a list of direct orders issued by the Arts Council last year and published in the Government Gazette, it is evident that contracts of services (direct orders) are often being used to bypass public sector recruitment rules, placing certain employees on the Council’s payroll without any competition or process.

Many council officials were recruited through this system, including contracts given for various simple tasks to conduct routine office and administrative work. Even the Council’s receptionist was recruited by direct order.

Just a few days ago, The Shift revealed how Luke Dalli, appointed CEO earlier this year through the direct intervention of Prime Minister Robert Abela, was put on a staggering €102,000 contract a year.