Labour-leaning lawyer paid €180,000 in direct orders in two months, government records show

A lawyer prominent in media commentary defending the Labour administration received €180,000 in direct orders from Transport Malta over a two-month period last year, according to entries published in the Government Gazette, though he has contested the interpretation of those figures.

The payments are listed as relating to legal services provided by Chris Cilia between May and June 2025. Official descriptions offer limited transparency, referring only in general terms to “various court cases – legal services”.

In comments to The Shift, Cilia said the figures published did not correspond to work carried out and invoiced within that narrow timeframe. He maintained that the Government Gazette entries reflect a broader financial arrangement covering services delivered over an extended period.

“The list of payments indicated in the Government Gazette certainly does not refer to services rendered and invoiced on the dates shown… but to outstanding payments for services which had been rendered over a protracted period of time,” he said.

Cilia added that one of the largest figures cited was not, in fact, a direct payment. “I confirm in the most categorical manner that I did not receive a payment of €80,000 on 18 June 2025,” he said, explaining that the figure represented a reserve for ongoing and future work.

He added that the amounts indicated in the Government Gazette were for services rendered and to be rendered spread over a substantial period of time.

He described his remit as encompassing a wide range of responsibilities, including the defence of numerous lawsuits – civil, industrial, administrative and constitutional – as well as legislative drafting and legal reporting.

“The amounts indicated… are for services rendered and to be rendered spread over a substantial period of time,” he said.

Legal practitioners familiar with Transport Malta’s operations indicated that Cilia has been engaged through direct orders for several years, with the Authority relying heavily on him for courtroom representation.

According to the same sources, this arrangement has effectively concentrated litigation work in his hands, sidelining other experienced lawyers, including those perceived to be politically aligned with the governing party.

Cilia, a former Labour electoral candidate, is a well-known figure in Malta’s political and media landscape. He is a frequent participant in televised discussion programmes, particularly on the state broadcaster, where he regularly defends government policy and critiques opposition positions.

His weekly appearances reviewing Sunday newspapers have further raised his public profile, often marked by pointed criticism of the Nationalist Party and its associated commentators.

His media visibility has coincided with a series of publicly funded roles. Cilia previously served as deputy chairman of the Malta Gaming Authority and currently sits on the board of the Malta Arbitration Centre.

He has also held positions within other state-linked entities, including INDIS Malta, which manages the country’s industrial estates. Earlier in his career, he served as a commissioner at the Local Tribunals.

Transport Malta has not disclosed further details about the cases underpinning the payments, nor has it clarified why the services were procured through direct orders rather than through competitive tendering processes.