Calleja’s manager handed €163,000 direct order for Malta Day at Osaka Expo

A company owned by Anton Attard, the former head of the PN’s NET TV and local manager of tenor Joseph Calleja, was awarded a €163,000 direct order to produce Malta Day celebrations at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.

The Shift can reveal that the contract covered the production of two one-hour performances held on 17 July last year as part of Malta’s participation in the international exposition. A substantial portion of the public funds was used to cover the services of Calleja himself, who headlined the event alongside several other performers.

Government records obtained through a Freedom of Information request show that Mint Media, a company wholly owned by Attard, was engaged through a direct agreement signed with Teatru Manoel. The arrangement raises questions over how the contractor was selected and why the usual public procurement process was bypassed.

Although Malta’s participation at international expos traditionally falls under the responsibility of Malta Enterprise, the organisation of Malta Day in Osaka was instead delegated through a separate agreement to Teatru Manoel – an entity with no direct role in Malta’s Expo operations.

Teatru Manoel subsequently entered into a direct order agreement with Mint Media, appointing Attard as artistic director for the event.

Under the contract, signed by Teatru Manoel CEO Edward Zammit on 25 June 2025, less than a month before the performance took place, Attard was specifically tasked with engaging Calleja as the headline performer. He was also instructed to recruit singer Destiny Chukunyere, soprano Mari Moriya and pianist Tomoko Nakajima as supporting artists.

The agreement stipulated that the €163,000 fee would cover “artist fees together with the flights and accommodation of the performers”.

Mint Media received the payment in two instalments – an advance payment of €81,400 before the event and the remaining balance the day after the performance.

The contract structure meant that Calleja’s fees were not disclosed separately. Instead, his remuneration formed part of a package negotiated between the government and his own local representative, who then paid the tenor directly, avoiding public scrutiny.

It remains unclear why this indirect contracting route was chosen or whether alternative artistic directors or production companies were considered before the contract was awarded.

Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg attended the Malta Day celebrations in Osaka.

The latest revelations add to mounting scrutiny over the growing volume of public funds channelled towards events involving Calleja and his representatives.

As previously reported by The Shift, the tenor is currently resisting efforts to disclose contracts linked to his government-sponsored performances, despite a ruling by the Information and Data Protection Commissioner ordering their publication following a Freedom of Information request filed by The Shift.

While Calleja has repeatedly stated that he receives no salary for his role as Malta’s Cultural Ambassador, the contracts tied to state-funded performances involving him and his management have remained largely hidden from public scrutiny.