Dalli, Cuschieri dish out €1 million in Project Green direct orders

Disgraced former MFSA CEO Joseph Cuschieri, handpicked by Minister Miriam Dalli to lead Project Green despite his tainted record at the financial regulator, has signed off another €1 million in direct orders from public funds in just six months.

An analysis of these direct orders clearly shows that many of them were awarded to friends, political associates, and individuals close to the minister.

The state-funded “green” agency, widely criticised as a greenwashing exercise with little to show despite its multi-million-euro budget, has continued haemorrhaging public funds through at least 50 direct orders issued during the first half of 2025.

Many of the payments appear to have been deliberately structured to circumvent public procurement rules, avoiding competition and transparency.

Public funds allocated to Project Green are often channelled towards marketing and promotional campaigns for promised “green” projects that are either never delivered or remain significantly delayed.

Among the largest payments according to a new list published in the Government Gazette, Cuschieri handed a fresh €33,000 direct order for unspecified “marketing and creativity” services to Sour Punch Limited, a company linked to former NET TV CEO Anton Attard.

Cuschieri himself runs his own private consultancy company, raising serious conflict of interest concerns.

Another €488,000 was committed so Project Green could lease office space in Mrieħel, again through a direct order and without any competitive process.

The latest list of beneficiaries also includes several Labour-linked individuals, many of whom previously worked in ministerial secretariats.

These include former Tourism Minister spokesperson Kearon Bruno, who received €10,000, while his private company, Diversity Ltd, was awarded another €10,000.

Former Health Minister Chris Fearne’s secretariat member, Luke Cassar, was paid €10,000 for graphic design, while his company Origin Ltd, received another €10,000 for photography services.

Labour pollster Vincent Marmara was paid €9,750 for an unnamed survey, while €7,500 was allocated to Malta Daily, an online marketing platform used frequently by the Labour administration.

Several payments were suspiciously kept just below the €10,000 threshold, suggesting an attempt to remain within direct order rules and avoid triggering tender requirements.

Cuschieri also appears to have used the direct order system to place numerous individuals on Project Green’s payroll under so-called consultancy agreements.

These include Mark Tanti – €8,400 for unspecified services; Christine Deasey – €9,600 for unspecified services; Josephine Camilleri – €9,900 for land surveying, Sean Cini – €9,600 for marketing and PR consultancy, Massimo Zammit – €9,600 for risk management and Jessica Camilleri – €10,000 for an environmental impact assessment study.

Even student workers are being engaged through direct orders, with Hannah Ellul listed as being paid €10,000 as a “student worker”.

Since 2013, Cuschieri – a member of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s inner circle – has built a reputation for his abusive use of public funds, with both the Malta Gaming Authority and the Malta Financial Services Authority issuing one direct order after another under his leadership.

Cuschieri was forced out of the MFSA in 2020 after being caught in compromising circumstances and admitting to a trip to Las Vegas with his close associate Edwina Licari, whom he had employed as a general counsel at the authority.

That trip was financed by businessman Yorgen Fenech, who stands accused of complicity in the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Despite the scandal, Dalli appointed Cuschieri as CEO of Project Green just a few years later.

Dalli and Cuschieri have long shared close political and personal ties, having previously worked together.

The latest revelations are likely to intensify scrutiny on both Project Green’s spending and the minister’s continued defence of Cuschieri.