The national broadcaster was given clearance by the Ministry of Finance to issue 47 direct orders in the run-up to the Junior Eurovision last November.

The direct orders issued by Public Broadcasting Services – to the tune of €1.8 million – covered almost all the requirements for the hosting of the Europe-wide festival for young singers: from security to catering and accommodation.

The total amount does not tally with information given by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici in Parliament recently, who said the government paid a total of €1.4 million in taxpayers’ money for the event held at the former Marsa shipbuilding site.

However, details of direct orders approved by the Ministry for Finance and published in the Government Gazette indicate that PBS actually paid a total of €1.8 million.

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