PN demands transparency over €7.2 million Film Commission spending

The Nationalist Party has condemned the government’s handling of a €7.2 million spending investigation by the Malta Film Commission, accusing Labour MPs of obstructing transparency and protecting Film Commissioner Johann Grech from scrutiny.

“According to the Government, the people have no right to know where €7,200,000 of their tax money went,” the Opposition said in a statement signed by PAC chairperson Darren Carabott and shadow ministers Graham Bencini, David Agius and Julie Zahra.

The statement comes as government members on Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee blocked a motion by an Opposition member seeking to request further documentation from the Malta Film Commission on Wednesday.

Parliament speaker Anglu Farrugia ruled last week that PAC members themselves must decide whether to summon Grech again to provide additional details on payments amounting to €7.2 million.

The Speaker noted that, under parliamentary guidelines, witnesses before the PAC are required to answer questions “carefully, fully and honestly,” but left it up to the committee to determine whether to pursue more information.

Opposition members, led by Carabott, argued that the committee should insist on receiving full documentation, including invoices and proof of payments, to ensure transparency on public spending. He said the PAC could not fulfil its oversight role if it chose to block access to such information itself.

Government MPs, however, maintained that the information already provided by the Film Commission was sufficient. Government member Alex Muscat said the commission had given a detailed breakdown of expenditure and that there was no need to continue stretching out this matter.

The information in question relates to €7.2 million in public funds spent by the Malta Film Commission between 2019 and 2022. The PAC had initially requested data showing payment dates, recipients, justifications, and copies of invoices. So far, only a general financial breakdown has been submitted.

The PN statement said the government’s actions amount to protecting Grech and avoiding public scrutiny over millions spent “without transparency and without yielding any tangible results.”

“The fact that the Film Commission’s budget has been significantly reduced in the 2026 Budget is, in itself, an admission by the Government that the huge spending under Johann Grech’s tenure was unjustified,” the party said.

The Opposition accused the government of turning the Film Commission into “a marketing tool for one individual” rather than an instrument to strengthen Malta’s film industry. It claimed that while millions were spent on lavish events, personal promotional campaigns and foreign trips, Maltese workers and artists were left with little support.

The PN is demanding that the government publish a detailed account of all Film Commission expenditure in recent years, reopen the PAC investigation, and provide a full breakdown of how the €7.2 million was spent, including payment dates, amounts, recipients, nature of work, and copies of invoices.

“A Government that feels comfortable hiding the truth about how €7,200,000 were spent cannot speak about good governance or responsible leadership,” the party said.

Opposition members expressed disappointment at Monday’s vote, saying the committee had effectively “voted to limit its own access to public financial data.”

The Speaker’s ruling concluded that whilst the PAC has the right to seek further details from the Film Commission, it is ultimately for members of the committee to decide whether to exercise that right.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​