IT-TLETTAX-IL LEĠIŻLATURA P.L. 6551 Dokument imqiegħed fuq il-Mejda tal-Kamra tad-Deputati fis-Seduta Numru 458 tal-10 ta’ Mejju 2021 mill-Onor. Glenn Bedingfield, MP. ___________________________ Raymond Scicluna Skrivan tal-Kamra The @ Ads by Google Srop seeing this ad Why this ad? (;) The Costanza defence Ranier Fsadni Prime Minister Robert Abela misled parliament on expenditure on public relations firms Caroline Muscat Contrary to what Prime Minister Robert Abela told parl iament, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Keep your enemies close appears to have spent a significant amount of Blanche Gatt taxpayers' money on local and international public relations Consultancy, an analysis of information published in the Government Gazette shows. In February, PN MP Jason Azzopa rdi asked Abela to state and list exactly how much money has been spent by the OPM on public relations (PR) and communications consultancies si nce 2013, when the Labour Parry came to power. Political responsibility is the new serenity Ryan Munlock <D x Photography sorne cornpames Still Believe that Media Marketing Is Wasted Money. Is that You? Nisga Abela replied last week that no entit:y or department that falls under the remit of the Prime Minister's office has spent any money on such services. But according to information publicly available in the Government Gazette and past PQs analysed by The Shift, betvveen 2013 and the present day, the OPM spent hundreds of thousands on Consultancy services to some of the most well-known PR and advisory consultancies in the world. The hundreds of thousands spent by the OPM is, in turn, a mere fraction of the rota! spend by the government on PR, communications and si milar marketing related services over the years. In 2014, Daphne Caruana Galizia wrote about Lesli e Skipper, a former journalist-cum-PR consultant from the UK. At the time, he was on a €7,000 retainer which was supposed to cover 12 months of work. Information published in the Government Gazette shows he was giving services to the "PM's secretariat and other ministries and parliamentary secretariats" for "technical advice". CD X Photography Sorne Companies Still Believe that Media Marketing Is Wasted Money. Is that You? Nisga Not only was he kept on a retainer, but he worked on ''communications strategy" for € 2,360. In 2015, his contract was then turned into a €3 ,638.33 monthly fee. His contract was renewed yearly. But in November 2017 , he received another €37,000 for "assistance in ME's (then Minister of the Economy Chris Cardona) public relations efforts targeted to the UK market." He landed another €22,388 in 2018 for services to the same ministry. In 20 19, he gor another €37,000 for another year's worth of services. Bell Pottinger, an infam.ous and now-defunct PR company described as having "the most controversial -~~ -4-- l; _ ... H ; ._ ... I_ - : ._ .J-· - -~- - - _ J _ - - -- -- ~ - - · - : •• -L- CllelH LLSL 111 u1e lllUUscry, ;usu a!Jpears 111 rne Government Gazette. This means that Joseph Muscat's government joined a mther colourful <1rray of peers including the Pinochet Foundation, murderer Oscar Pistorius, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, and the first lady of Syria, Asma al-Assad. fl'"""" . I T he company went into administration following accusations they facilitated State capture in South Nrica, to the benefit of the G upta Fam ily, while exploiting racial tensions for political and commercial gain. In 2015, Bell Pottinger received a direct urder from the OPM for the "provision of a qualitative research project." A year prior to that, Cenrreground Political Communications, a PR finn bought by Bell Porringer earlier in 2014, was also awarded another undisclosed sum by OPM for a "qualitative research se rvice". Tens of thousands were also handed over to the M&C Saatchi Group, an international communications consulrancy in London. They were brought in to help with the Valletta Summit on Migration and CH OGM 2015. They then advised the Planning Authority to the tune of more than €62,000 in 2017. The direct order was for the marketing of a "Paceville master plan", although the direct order was fo rmally granted months after the master plan was scrapped. O ther examples include advertising and branding firm TBWA\ANG, founded by Godfrey Grima, journalist turned advertiser with close relations to the Labour Party, who passed away Last March. TBWA\ANG was paid €40,000 by the Ministry of Finance for the "provision of marketing services for a period of 24 months". In 2018, the government dropped some €210,000 for "provision of assistance on how to manage the communication aspen in relation to the current media reporting about the MFSA and specific cases falling under the remit of rhe MFSA". 111 ~VLV) !V11 Ul \. 1\...11 Llll\..l \...l Lll\.. "-.,/L lVL..) l\...lllll Clll\...1 'being quietly removed from Edward Scicluna's portfolio. The money went to Communications and Network Consulting and was likely related to managing the fallout of the Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination and the Pi latus Bank scandal. Reports also claim that the government used the services of Chelgate or its former employee Robert A. Winstanley, who would in 2018 set up his own reputation management firm and related Maltese company, to help devise a PR strategy to also manage that fallout. The OPM denied engaging Chelgate, although former OPM communications head Kurt Farrugia testified that Chelgate "offered some services to the government" and that he used to consult with Winstanley. Almost €5,500 was given to Steves & Co for the "development of a brand identicy" for the National Development and Social Fund (NSDF), the fund created for passport money. Despite this hefcy fee, three years later there doesn't appear to be any brand or website available. In 2020, the government both drastically slashed the amount to be given to the NSDF from Golden Passport and Visa sales from 70% to just 20% but also removed any reference to the NSDF in the new regulations issued that same year. But aside from the many more direct orders to pollsters Bloom Research (including for gauging approval ratings for a "constitutional convention"), Brandcast Media, Professor Dimitry Kochenov (who faileLi ro declare his role with the Maltese government to the Universicy where he lectu res), KEKST CNC, and Malta-based marketing company, lkona Artvvorks, other interesting names pop up over the last eight years. In 2013, the Planning Authority awarded a direct order to Nicholas Wright to the rune of €39,000 (excluding VAT) a year for three years. When the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation asked, via a FrPPrlnm nfTntnn 11 ~tinn rPnllP~t fnr mnrP •information on the order including details of work he did, minutes from meetings, correspondence, contracts, and engagement letters, the Planning Authority said they lost them. Wright worked on Muscat's 2013 and 2017 election campaign while also being employed by Luntz Global Partners. He was previously in a C EO role at Sentio, a communications company registered in Malw, which was bought by Luntz Global Parmers in 2013. Now, he is CEO of Sen.tio Group, believed to still be linked to Luntz. Invoices to Sentio included the company number of Bloom research Ltd, a company owned by Maltese property developer Jan Spiteri and ex-MISCO researcher Alida Buttigieg, who also sat on the board of Sentio. Both Sentio companies in Malta have since been shut down. Luntz Global Partners is headed by US citizen Frank Luntz. He is known as a staunch Republican and has worked on pro-Israeli campaigns against the Palestin ians, on global warming denial, and electoral campaigns during several UK elections, and elections in Ireland, Australia and the US. Via his Twitter platform in 2013, W right was vocal in supporting the Labour government, particularly o n the matter of cash-for-passports. He also repeatedly dismissed any allegations of corruption and repeated that the PL was what the people wanted. In 2019, he tweeted that "Daphne was neither impartial nor a journalist". He also called her sister who is still campaigning for justice over her assassination ",1 fu ckwit". Paul Caruana Ga lizia 0 @pcaruanagal. .. · May 15, 2020 ~ Replying to @mcaruanagalizia Come on, @NicholasHWright, it's yours to choose. NICOOiaS wngnt @NicholasHWright V happy w/my choices. Thi nk I'd be less so if I was living off ha nd-outs and a myth, claiming a Pulitzer I never won, to eke out existence as a semi-pro t roll. Truly admirable stuff.. Byeeel 1:12PM· May 15,2020 CD Q Q 2 .!, Share this Tweet T hen in 2020, he attacked Caruana Galizia's sons on Twitter, accusing them of "living on hand-outs and a myth, claiming a Pulitzer never won, to eke out [an[ existence as a semi-pro troll". l t' s u nclear whether he is still being paid by the Maltese government and whether this activity constitutes some of h is services offered. The exam ples listed here are by no means exhaustive and do not cover other media, marketing, and communications expenditures. These include Faceboo k advertising, paid-for articles, design, Vl8, Air Malta, NAS Daily, blockchain summits and various other events and services. Considering the vast expenditure o n reputation management, PR, branding, marketing and advisory services, across multiple government entities, institutions, ministries and departments including specifically the OPM, Abela's reply in parliament that no money has been spent by O PM o n PR consultancy seems at best ignorant, and at worst, dishonest. J3 L' rht: First co Cummcnr.1 B I 1,1 -& := ·- " <I• ~ 0 [+I 0 COMMENTS Previous article Next article < That sense of resignation Related Stories Prime Minister Robert Abela misled parliament on expenditure on public relations firms Contrary tfl what Prime Minister Rnb~rr Al~b tol..l p :nlia m~11t, Caroline Muscat That sense of resignation Th~ rcmpcr;~ rure climheJ rl'l 27 J~grees ch is Stmdoty in Jacques Rene Zammit The Shift is an independent @ "' Ema il online news platform committed ll 6 ro investigative journalism and the defence of press freedom.