PBS current affairs presenter linked to €570,000 direct order, while board director campaigns for Labour

Public broadcasting’s editorial standards and ethics rules deserve scrutiny after a current affairs presenter at PBS is linked to a new direct order worth around €570,000, and, separately, a sitting PBS board director addressed a partisan Labour Party political activity.

The developments are raising fresh questions about political impartiality and conflicts of interest at the state broadcaster at a time when Malta is expected to strengthen media governance rules under the European Media Freedom Act.

Despite repeated promises of reform and independence, PBS’s code of ethics appears to have been increasingly ignored in recent years.

The most recent case concerns Quinton Scerri, a former Labour mayor of Żabbar who presents the current affairs programme Popolin on TVM.

Scerri, who has long maintained business interests alongside his media role, is associated with GMR Concepts Ltd, an events and logistics company involved in gaming, exhibitions, and large scale productions.

According to publicly available procurement information, GMR Concepts is expected to be awarded a direct order worth approximately €570,000 by the Economy Ministry to organise the upcoming edition of TechExpo Malta 2026.

PBS’s own ethics rules prohibit current affairs presenters and journalists from entering government contracts that could compromise, or appear to compromise, their editorial independence and impartiality.

The code was designed specifically to avoid situations in which presenters covering political affairs simultaneously depend on government business.

Scerri has previously faced scrutiny over other public contracts linked to companies associated with him. Earlier investigative reporting had revealed that a company connected to the presenter received tens of thousands of euro in direct orders while he occupied prominent roles within PBS programming.

The latest case, however, represents one of the largest government direct orders linked to a serving current affairs presenter at the national broadcaster.

At the same time, another senior PBS figure has openly crossed the line into partisan political activity. Jeremy Camilleri, a sitting member of the PBS board of directors since 2020, recently addressed a Labour Party political meeting in support of Prime Minister Robert Abela and urged voters to ensure another Labour electoral victory.

PBS employees and officials are expected to refrain from active partisan political involvement.

The broadcaster’s own guidelines prohibit employees from publicly declaring partisan political allegiances or from participating in political campaigning in ways that could undermine public confidence in the broadcaster’s neutrality.

Yet Camilleri, who sits on the governing board expected to oversee standards and governance at PBS, publicly took the stage at a partisan political event.

Camilleri has often presented himself publicly as an independent commentator, particularly on social media and discussion programmes.

Before joining the PBS board, he served as a secretary within the General Workers’ Union and later occupied several government-linked positions after leaving the union movement.

He is currently holds a senior role within Aġenzija Support, a government agency, and also serves on the board of Malta Health Ltd, the state entity that took over management responsibilities previously linked to the collapsed Vitals and Steward hospitals concession.

Camilleri has also previously worked as a consultant to former deputy prime minister and health minister Chris Fearne. Camilleri is from Paola, Fearne’s main constituency.

It is unclear what action, if any, PBS will take against Scerri and Camilleri for breaching its code of ethics.