Independent politician and activist Arnold Cassola has requested the Auditor General to investigate the direct order given to lawyer Ryan Pace of €17,000.

The Shift exclusively revealed on Tuesday that Pace, 31, who was Robert and Lydia Abela’s assistant at their private legal firm until 2020, got his eleventh government job as the legal representative of Festivals Malta.

The latest €17,000 government job tops another 10 he holds with other agencies, as well as running his own private firm.

Apart from the latest remuneration from Festivals Malta and the Malta Gaming Authority, Pace is also paid as a lawyer for the Malta Tourism Authority and Aġenzija Sapport, and as a government-appointed director of the Malta Film Commission, ARMS Ltd, Gozo Heliport Ltd, Engineering Resources Ltd, Mediterranean Offshore Bunkering Ltd, Malta Government Investments Ltd and Malta Investment Management Company Ltd.

Ryan Pace’s government appointments.

Cassola referred to The Shift’s article on Pace, asking the Auditor General, Charles Deguara, to list his earnings in each of these roles and whether they were given to Pace following a public call.

He questioned whether giving 11 jobs to Pace was “value for money”, saying it may have been better to spread the jobs among others with the necessary qualifications.