Minister ordered to appoint Luke Dalli as PBS deputy chairman

Luke Dalli, the son of former Labour Minister Helena Dalli, is being appointed deputy chairman of PBS on the direct orders of the Office of the Prime Minister, despite objections from the minister responsible for the state broadcaster, The Shift can reveal.

Culture Ministry sources told The Shift that the appointment follows Dalli’s forced departure from TVM’s discussion programme Bla Rispetti. His removal had been explained as enforcement of a directive requiring government chief executives and executive chairpersons to concentrate exclusively on their public duties. The directive is being breached by various ministries.

Following intense lobbying and dissatisfaction with the decision, Dalli is now to be given the deputy chairmanship of the state broadcaster as compensation, the sources said.

Dalli already serves as executive chairman of Arts Council Malta, with an annual remuneration package exceeding €100,000. The PBS appointment would give him another paid public position.

Dalli also sits on the board of the Authority for Integrity in Maltese Sport (AIMS) and, according to the sources, is allowed to continue practising privately as a lawyer despite OPM directives against government executives holding outside jobs. He is a partner in Dalli Paris Advocates, alongside Matthew Paris, the Malta Football Association’s senior vice-president.

Ministry sources told The Shift that PBS Minister Malcolm Paul Agius Galea, whom they described as one of the weakest members of Abela’s cabinet, opposed the appointment because he feared it would deepen accusations of partisanship at the national broadcaster.

The Office of the Prime Minister nevertheless instructed him to include Dalli on the board.

The sources said the government also intends to reappoint former PBS employee Anna Bonet as chairwoman. They described an arrangement in which Dalli would effectively lead the board, arguing that Bonet has limited influence because she lacks the experience necessary to direct the national broadcaster.

The proposed appointment follows months of questions about Dalli’s political activity while presenting current affairs on TVM.

In June, The Shift reported how Dalli boasted on social media about acting as a Labour Party representative during election counting and publicly celebrated the party’s victory at its headquarters. PBS’s ethics guidelines restrict public political endorsements by news and current affairs personnel, including outside working hours. No disciplinary action over the reported conduct was made public, nor was any enforcement action announced by the editorial board.

The appointment comes as the PN challenges PBS and the Broadcasting Authority in court over alleged systemic bias and failures to enforce impartiality obligations.

While the PN cited DJ and presenter Ricky Caruana as a prime example of bias and a failure to uphold impartiality, it continues to send its representatives to participate in his programme.