Albert Marshall secured €20,000 in VCA consultancies while on €100,000 at Arts Council

Albert Marshall, the 79-year-old former Executive Chairman of the Arts Council Malta, was handed four consecutive consultancy contracts by the Valletta Cultural Agency (VCA), each worth €5,000, while already earning a €100,000-a-year package funded by taxpayers on top of his pension.

The four renewals, amounting to €20,000, were issued while Marshall was still Executive Chairman of Arts Council Malta – the Authority responsible for overseeing Malta’s cultural agencies, including the VCA.

The contracts were signed by VCA CEO Catherine Tabone, a longtime associate of Marshall, appointing him as a “cultural expert” on six-month terms, sources told The Shift.

According to insiders, the arrangement was “highly irregular”.

As head of the Arts Council, Marshall was not permitted to hold paid engagements with other government entities. Yet the VCA contracts were signed and paid out while he retained overall responsibility for the cultural sector.

It remains unclear whether the contracts, understood to have been renewed consecutively, remain in effect. Questions also remain about what deliverables were produced in exchange for the consultancy fees.

Like the Arts Council, the VCA falls under the political responsibility of Culture Minister Owen Bonnici. The agency is chaired by Jason Micallef, with Tabone acting as CEO.

The revelation of the VCA contracts comes amid a costly leadership reshuffle at Arts Council Malta, which also benefits Marshall.

Internal documents obtained through Freedom of Information requests show that Marshall, a veteran Labour loyalist and former chief executive of ONE TV, was removed from his executive post in June 2025, just six months after being granted a fresh three-year contract by Minister Bonnici.

Despite his removal, Marshall was still guaranteed his full remuneration package until 2028, when he turns 81.

An addendum signed on 17 June 2025 by the ministry’s permanent secretary, Kevin Mahoney, reclassified Marshall’s role at the Arts Council from Chief Executive to “technical expert”. However, the revised agreement preserved his entire salary and benefits package.

Under the terms of the deal, Marshall receives a basic annual salary of €63,000, a €9,450 performance bonus, and multiple allowances, including €3,000 for expertise, €6,000 for expenses and €1,600 for communications, together with a government car, a full-time driver and other perks. The total annual cost to taxpayers is estimated at around €100,000.

Over three years, the arrangement is expected to exceed €300,000.

The “technical expert” role is not part of the organisation’s established structures.

Marshall was pushed out by Luke Dalli, son of former Labour Minister Helena Dalli.

Dalli had previously been recruited and promoted internally at the Arts Council under Marshall’s tenure.

Meanwhile, Marshall continues to occupy other publicly funded roles, including deputy chairmanship of PBS and positions linked to the Malta Film Commission, all falling under Minister Owen Bonnici’s remit.