A former director of G7, which has been involved in organising large private parties across the island, is the latest addition to the list of consultants recruited by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.
The Office of the Prime Minister confirmed that Mark Magri was engaged as part-time adviser to Dr Muscat. His role, for which he receives €17,300 a year, is related to event organisation and marketing.
According to a spokesman for the Prime Minister, Mr Magri is specifically in charge “of assessing the commercial viability of events proposed to the government”.
Industry sources told Times of Malta that although Mr Magri had officially left G7 about five years ago, he was still closely connected to the entertainment industry through his private work representing a company with direct connections to parties. They thus felt that his new role at Castille could give rise to conflicts of interest.
When contacted, Mr Magri insisted he had no conflict of interest. Describing himself as a close friend of Dr Muscat, he said he now worked as a consultant to an energy drink manufacturer.
“I have known Joseph Muscat since our university days and, yes, I was one of the many people who helped the Labour Party in its [electoral] campaign,” he said.
Times of Malta is informed that Mr Magri was also closely involved in Dr Muscat’s MEP campaign in 2004.
A few weeks ago, this newspaper reported that the OPM had engaged the services of Robert van der Water, a former consultant of deposed Ukrainian dictator Victor Yanukovych.
Leslie Skipper, an ex-BBC journalist and media guru, was contracted as adviser to the government on public relations and international media coordinator while former PBS presenter Lou Bondì was engaged with the OPM as consultant on national celebrations.
Apart from close advisers, the OPM has also engaged special envoys. These include former Labour MP Maria Camilleri for Arab countries; former ministers Alex Sciberras Trigona and Joe Grima, covering the World Trade Organisations and the World Tourism Organisation respectively; and Malta’s former High Commissioner to the UK, Joe Zammit Tabona. PL deputy leader Toni Abela was engaged as personal adviser to the Prime Minister but receives no remuneration.