No itemised bills, no deposits for minister’s €124,000 wedding

Standards Commissioner Joseph Azzopardi has concluded that former Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo did not receive any preferential treatment regarding his €124,000 wedding held at a Tigné venue in June 2024.

Underlining the fact that Bartolo and his wife, Amanda Muscat, did not present an itemised bill for their impressively high wedding costs, and were not even asked for a deposit by their wedding organisers, the Commissioner stressed that he could not conclude that there was any conflict as alleged in a complaint lodged by citizen Matthew Agius following the wedding.

The Commissioner noted it was unusual for the Minister and his wife to spend so much money without receiving an itemised bill detailing how the funds were specifically used. He also emphasised that it was unusual for the Minister not to pay a deposit, which is typically expected in such situations.

Still, he said that Jean Claude Fenech, the Chief Financial Officer of the DB Group – the managers of Manta on the Sea – where the wedding was held, confirmed that they gave Bartolo no discounts and that he was not asked for a deposit.

Clayton Bartolo’s version

The former Tourism Minister’s wedding was a source of controversy, particularly since the civil marriage ceremony was organised at Manoel Island at the same time that preparations were in full swing for the Mediterrane Film Festival Awards ceremony, organised by the same ministry with a budget estimated to have cost over €5 million.

The Commissioner did not delve into the potential conflict between the wedding venue and the film festival, and the same suppliers used, since the National Audit Office is investigating the matter.

However, the former Minister, sacked a few months later by the Prime Minister following claims of impropriety, also involving his wife, told the Commissioner that he paid for all that was required for his wedding from his own funds.

Asked whether those responsible for his wedding were also the same contractors for the film festival, Bartolo said he did not know, as he had not selected the contractors for the film festival.

Bartolo produced two bills, one of €110,000, for the use of the Tigné lido and all the catering and drinks required for his wedding. Another €14,000 was paid to Chris Galea – described as a logistics expert – who handled the hiring of a barge and boats to transport the Minister’s guests between Manoel Island and his reception venue in Tigné.

Galea was the former events manager at the Office of the Prime Minister at the time that disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat was in office.  Following the last elections, he was made a consultant at Transport Malta and is a regular recipient of direct orders.

Asked to explain how he spent €124,000 – twice a Minister’s annual salary – and did not have an itemised bill, Bartolo insisted that he had agreed with the organisers, DB Group, on an all-inclusive package.

He presented bank documents showing that he paid all his dues from a joint account he held with his wife, two months after the wedding. The former Minister said he had some 800 guests present.

During his interview with the Standards Commissioner, Bartolo was accompanied by lawyer Ryan Pace, the former assistant at Prime Minister Robert Abela’s legal office.

Pace is currently on 12 government retainers, including from the Tourism Ministry.

The former Minister and his wife are still subject to an ongoing police investigation, but no charges have been issued yet.