Labour Party events suppliers clash over government-funded Christmas project

Two of the Labour Party’s principal events contractors, both long-time beneficiaries of government work, have become embroiled in a dispute over the award of a publicly-funded Christmas event contract organised by Environment Minister Miriam Dalli.

Party sources told The Shift that tensions between the two companies had been mounting for some time, as each sought to secure a larger share of state-funded assignments, many of which are issued through questionable direct orders rather than open tenders.

In an appeal filed with the Public Contracts Review Board, Carmel Magro, owner of The Events Company (formerly known as TEC), accused Dalli’s ministry of “discrimination and unfair competition” after his firm’s bid for the ‘Christmas in the Park’ event was rejected despite being €25,000 cheaper than the winning offer.

While TEC’s proposal was priced at just under €50,000, it was deemed non-compliant, and the contract was instead awarded to 7twentyeight Ltd for almost €75,000. The company is formally owned by 23-year-old student Maya Galea, whose father, Chris Galea, previously served as events manager at the Office of the Prime Minister under disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat.

Although the company was only registered in 2023, sources said Chris Galea is understood to play an active role in its operations, effectively positioning the firm as a rival to Magro’s TEC. The ministry, however, deemed TEC’s bid to be “technically non-compliant” – a justification Magro has dismissed as a pretext to favour the Galeas, who are perceived to have closer ties to Dalli’s ministry.

Magro, a long-serving Enemalta employee, rapidly expanded his events business after Labour’s return to power in 2013, securing millions of euro in direct orders through links to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), where Chris Galea once worked. But as the party’s internal dynamics shifted following Robert Abela’s rise to the premiership, Magro’s access to government contracts reportedly diminished.

Galea, who lost his OPM post during that transition, later re-emerged as a campaign aide at Labour headquarters during the 2022 general elections. He subsequently obtained consultancy roles at Transport Malta and the Malta Film Commission before establishing 7twentyeight Ltd in 2023, naming his daughter as company director.

The rivalry between the two contractors is said to be causing unease within the party as it gears up for a potential early elections.

It is a known secret in the industry that the Labour Party has long relied on a small group of event suppliers who receive substantial public contracts during the legislature and are then expected to contribute their services “gratis” during political campaigns.