IM spends €12,000 on Minister’s plaques as procurement abuse continues

A new list of direct orders issued by Infrastructure Malta and published in the Government Gazette has raised fresh questions about the agency’s procurement practices, with figures suggesting that a procedure intended for emergencies is increasingly being used for routine expenditure.

Among the most notable entries are €12,000 in direct orders for two commemorative plaques bearing the name of Transport Minister Chris Bonett intended to mark the inauguration of two delayed infrastructure projects, one in Bugibba and the other at St Thomas Bay.

Under public procurement rules, direct orders are meant to be used only in exceptional circumstances, typically for urgent or emergency works where a tendering process is not feasible.

The list includes direct orders for advertising campaigns carried out through Media Hut, an agency owned by former PN official Anton Attard. Some of the advertising was placed on a specific programme broadcast on ONE TV and presented by Ronald Vassallo, a former Labour Party spokesperson.

Other direct orders covered a variety of services, including catering from Ta’ Xmun, stationery purchases from The Notebook Centre, and media-related services from Red-U media. Singer Glenn Vella also received a €5,500 direct order for what was described as “musical services for an Infrastructure Malta event”.

Figures covering the second half of 2025 indicate that Infrastructure Malta relied more heavily on direct orders than on competitive tenders.

Between July and December 2025, the agency, headed by former Labour MEP candidate Steve Ellul, issued 15 tenders compared to 116 direct orders.

While the tenders issued during that period amounted to €12.3 million, the total value of direct orders reached €16.4 million, suggesting that a significant portion of the agency’s procurement was conducted outside the competitive tendering process.

Although some direct orders involved relatively small sums, others covered projects worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of euros.

One example was €2.2 million in road works in Siggiewi, awarded through a direct order to Philip Agius & Sons Ltd.

The same procedure was used for other non-emergency projects, including €819,000 for refurbishment works along the Marsascala promenade, awarded to Schembri Barbros Ltd, and €669,000 for the installation of barriers in Mosta, awarded to Bitmac Ltd.

Other direct orders appear to be linked to works carried out within the Transport Minister’s constituency, including landscaping works on a garden in Paola, carried out by the local council with assistance from Infrastructure Malta. In total, Derek Garden Centre received more than €300,000 in direct orders connected to the project.

The continued reliance on direct orders comes despite previous warnings from the National Audit Office, which has repeatedly stressed that such procedures should be restricted to genuine emergencies.

However, the latest figures suggest the practice remains widespread, with direct orders continuing to account for a substantial share of Infrastructure Malta’s procurement activity.