Cassola requests NAO investigation into Malta Film Awards spend

Independent candidate Arnold Cassola has requested an investigation into the Malta Film Awards by the Auditor General of Malta.

The Malta Film Awards were held last Saturday, in an extravagant manner, with former Little Britain star David Walliams hosting the event.

Various industry practitioners raised questions on the exorbitant price tag of the event and critiqued the Malta Film Commission’s priorities, arguing that money should be invested better.

Cassola said the declared budget for the award night was of €400,000, “a phenomenal sum, considering the Malta Film Commission has an annual budget of €600,000.”

He remarked how suspicions were raised on the accuracy of the declared sum, with Film Commissioner Johann Grech refusing to say whether the budget were exceeded or not.

“Various factors like the host's wage, the amount of money spent on the importation of apparatus and the fact that the Film Commissioner was evasive and non-transparent on the spending, raise suspicions that the sum spent was over the budget,” Cassola said.

He also raised questions on whether it was cost effective to pay thousands to Walliams, to say that, “Malta has a lot of churches, fries rabbits and is a hub for tax evasion.”

“How much did this affirmation, that humiliated us Maltese, damage the country’s reputation and consequently cost us millions in foreign investment?” Cassola said.