Marmara’s direct orders surge ahead of expected elections

Labour’s pollster Vince Marmara has received a fresh wave of direct orders from multiple government entities, with new payments ranging from research on euthanasia to surveys linked to a government-backed “green” initiatives.

As questions keep growing on who finances his political surveys, used publicly and internally by Labour, recent Government Gazette entries show Marmara and his company Sagalytics Ltd continue to feature prominently among recipients of public contracts issued through direct orders.

The most recent commission came from Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg, who awarded Marmara €9,750 for research on euthanasia in Malta.

Buttigieg had previously floated the idea of introducing legislation on the issue, sparking immediate backlash, particularly from the Church. Since the initial debate, however, little has been heard about the proposal.

At the same time, government agency Project Green, managed by former disgraced MFSA CEO Joseph Cuschieri, has engaged Marmara for multiple assignments.

Within a span of two months, the pollster secured two separate direct orders for surveys, including one related to a planned “Green Summit” in Malta and another described only as “a general survey”.

Each of these contracts was valued at €9,750, just below the €10,000 threshold that would have required a competitive tendering process under public procurement rules.

These latest awards follow additional high-value contracts issued by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), also recorded in recent Government Gazette publications.

These included a €46,500 direct order for an unspecified “feasibility study” and a further €7,000 for statistical analysis related to employment in the gaming sector.

Marmara, a senior lecturer at the University of Malta, has maintained a long-standing financial relationship with the MGA since 2014. Over the past decade, he has received hundreds of thousands of euro through a combination of direct orders and retainers, despite regulations requiring competitive procurement for such services.

The steady flow of public contracts comes amid ongoing questions about Marmara’s dual role as a government consultant and political pollster.

While his surveys have been widely circulated within Labour circles and published as part of the PL’s public relations, the funding behind these polls has never been publicly disclosed.

As speculation over early elections continues to grow, the increasing volume of government-funded assignments awarded to Marmara is likely to draw further scrutiny.