According to the Government, the people have no right to know where €7,200,000 of their tax money was spent, the Nationalist Party said Thursday.
This is evident in the way Labour MPs on the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) are doing everything they can to obstruct the ongoing investigation intended to provide an explanation as to how these millions were spent by the Film Commission.
Yesterday, during the PAC sitting, Government members once again voted to stop the investigation into this multi-million-euro expenditure of public funds, despite a ruling by the Speaker confirming that the Committee had every right to recall Johann Grech to provide details on how these funds were used.
The PN on Thursday strongly condemned "the way the Government continues to shield Johann Grech and is doing everything possible to avoid public scrutiny over the millions in public money that were spent by the Film Commission 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.
It is shameful that what a Nationalist Government had started in this industry has now been turned into nothing more than an excuse to waste money, without the Maltese people or the country seeing any sustainable return on this expenditure. The Film Commission has become a marketing tool for one individual, rather than an instrument to truly strengthen Malta's film industry, the PN said.
While millions were spent on lavish events, personal promotional campaigns and foreign trips, Maltese workers and artists were left to fend for themselves with little to no support, it added.
Instead of wasting time defending reckless spending, the Government should be explaining why these funds were not used to genuinely develop Maltese talent, support local productions, offer professional training, and create more opportunities for our artists to showcase their work abroad.
When the Public Accounts Committee is obstructed by Government members from doing its job, the message being sent to the people is clear: the way their money is spent is none of their business.
The PN therefore demands that:
The Government publishes a detailed account of all Film Commission expenditure in recent years;
The PAC reopens the investigation into the unexplained €7.2 million expenditure;
A detailed account should be provided of how the €7.2 million were spent, including payment dates, a breakdown of the amounts, the recipients of the payments, the nature of the work carried out, and copies of the invoices;
Film funds are used to help Maltese artists, not to finance propaganda or personal promotion projects.
Our country needs a policy that truly supports and uplifts the creative industry. The Partit Nazzjonalista has always believed in the Maltese artist. It was the PN that established this industry and invested to help it grow. The PN believes that Malta's film industry has enormous potential to expand, to create jobs, to attract investment, and to train Maltese talent. But none of this can happen if public funds continue to be spent without a plan and without accountability.
A Government that feels comfortable hiding the truth about how €7,200,000 were spent cannot speak about good governance or responsible leadership.
Malta deserves leadership that defends the interests of the artist, the industry, and the people - not the interests of individuals, the PN said.
The statement was signed by Darren Carabott, Chairperson of the PAC and Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Security; Graham Bencini, PN MP on the PAC and Shadow Minister for Social Security and EU Funds; David Agius, PN MP on the PAC and Shadow Minister for Sport and Volunteering, and Julie Zahra Shadow Minister for Culture and the Creative Economy.