The contract won by Martin Debono, above, involves setting up a fashion museum.

Former Labour candidate Martin Debono has been awarded a €36,000 government contract by direct order in connection with the setting up of a fashion museum, this newspaper has learnt.

The museum, to be called The Grand Salon for Costume, Fashion and Film, is still at an embryonic stage and will only become possible if it gets the green light for the award of about €5 million in EU funds.

The direct order to the architect was issued last summer by the Directorate for Culture within the Ministry for Justice and Local Government.

Mr Debono, who until 2011 also represented the Labour Party on the Sliema local council, was tasked to manage and coordinate consultants’ drawings into a comprehensive document for the tender stage and for the EU funds application for the project.

Apart from the €36,000 in fees, the government will also cover any VAT.

Questions sent to a spokesman for Justice Minister Owen Bonnici on why no tender was issued for this service, as is customary for similar projects related to EU funds, remained unanswered.

The Justice Ministry also failed to answer questions on how and why Mr Debono’s services were selected

A cost/benefit analysis of the project was awarded to EY for €7,500 only after a formal call for tenders.

The Justice Ministry also failed to answer questions on how and why Mr Debono’s services were selected.

Last year, Mr Debono had been recruited by the government to serve as an assistant to Building Industry Consultative Council chairman Charles Buhagiar on a ‘position of trust’ basis on a contract worth €27,000 a year.

In 1997, Mr Debono was appointed as the BICC’s first chairman when Mr Buhagiar Public Projects and Construction Minister.