Tumas Group received at least €4,859,761.80 in public funds since 16 October 2017
23 August 2024
Malta’s government and public entities have paid the Maltese conglomerate Tumas Group at least €4,859,761.80 through direct orders and tender awards from 16 October 2017 to 31 December 2023. This was established through a year-long research project by The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation.
Using open sources of information and data obtained through Freedom of Information requests, our research found the following aggregate payments to the Tumas Group:
| Year | Amount |
|---|---|
| 2017 | €8,347.46 |
| 2018 | €7,577.50 |
| 2019 | €68,346.69 |
| 2020 | €23,081.25 |
| 2021 | €97,166.72 |
| 2022 | €1,056978.58 |
| 2023 | €3,598,263.60 |
20 of 32 contracts were granted by direct order. It is unclear if the other 12 contracts were also direct orders or awarded through a tender process. Legally, direct contracts should be the exception but appear to have been the rule in this case.
The Department of Contracts confirmed to us in writing that a government or a public entity may grant a direct contract only where the estimated procurement value is less than €143K (excluding VAT) or if the Minister of Finance has given prior approval in writing.
Our research has found that at least two direct contracts awarded to Tumas Group exceeded the legal limit. The Group’s Eldercare operations received two direct orders for over €846K and €3.5 million. We asked the Ministry for Active Ageing for a copy of the Finance Minister’s prior written approval but did not receive any such documentation.
Questions about the awarding of several publicly-funded direct orders to Tumas Group tie in with the lack of transparency in the financing of Maltese political parties. As our earlier research into the financing of political parties has shown, the sources of almost 99% of all donations between 2016 and 2019 remain undisclosed to the public, raising questions about influence on public expenditure.
| Date | Amount in € | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 16 November 2017 | 8,347.46 | Awarded to Hilton Malta for hosting Budding Rockstars organised by Malta Communications Authority. Uncertain if awarded by direct order or tender. |
| 10 May 2018 | 7,577.50 | Contract awarded to Dolmen Complex Ltd for hosting the Malta Waste Reduction Awards, organised by Wasteserv Malta Limited. Uncertain if awarded by direct order or tender. |
| 01 March 2019 | 4,750.00 | Contract awarded to Dolmen Complex Ltd for hosting Launch of Research - a Passage to Malta conference organised by the commissioner for Children. Uncertain if awarded by direct order or tender. |
| 29 April 2019 | 7,175.00 | Direct order awarded to Hilton Malta for hosting a TN employment meeting, organised by Jobsplus. |
| 10 May 2019 | 6,641.95 | Contract awarded to Dolmen Hotel Malta for hosting DSS Staff Day, organised by Ministry for Family, Children’s Rights and Social Solidarity. Uncertain if awarded by direct order or tender. |
| 7-8 November 2019 | 49,779 | Contract awarded to Hilton Malta for hosting a Malta Architecture and Spatial Planning Conference organised by the Planning Authority. Uncertain if awarded by director order or tender. |
| 10-11 December 2020 | 23,081.25 | Direct order awarded to Hilton Malta for hosting a Mita event, organised by the Malta Information Technology Agency. |
| 01 February 2021 | 8,474.58 | Direct order awarded to Spinola Developments for hosting Malta Philharmonic Orchestra’s February recording sessions. |
| 11 February 2021 | 8,847.79 | Direct order awarded to Hilton for hosting Valletta Design Cluster inaugural event, organised by the Valletta Cultural Agency. |
| 04 September 2021 | 8,474.57 | Direct order awarded to Spinola Developments for hosting Malta Philharmonic Orchestra’s Shostakovich 9. |
| 02 September 2021 | 8474.58 | Direct order awarded to Hilton for hosting Malta Philharmonic Orchestra’s Shostakovich 9. |
| 05 November 2021 | 48,618.00 | Direct order awarded to the Ministry for Transport Infrastructure to Valletta Gateway Terminals for support services. |
| 23-24 November 2021 | 6,049.66 | Direct order awarded to Hilton Malta for hosting an OECD event, organised by the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise. |
| 25 November 2021 | 8,227.54 | Direct order awarded to Hilton Malta for hosting Malta Communications Authority’s 20th anniversary conference. |
| 28 February 2022 | 8,050.85 | Direct order awarded to Spinola Developments for hosting MASP Awards 2021, organised by the Planning Authority under the patronage of the President of Malta. |
| 08 July 2022 | 12,677.97 | Awarded by Identity Malta. |
| 09 July 2022 | 50,569.00 | Direct order awarded to Eldercare Operations by the Ministry for Active Ageing for the provision of long term beds for patients with severe dementia. |
| 13-21 July 2022 | 17,300.00 | Awarded to Hilton for hosting Malta Summer Festival, organised by Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, Arts Council Malta, Malta Tourism Authority, Ministry for Gozo and Ministry for the National Heritage, The Arts and Local Government. Uncertain if awarded by direct order or tender. |
| 01 August 2022 | 9,997.50 | Direct order awarded to Dolmen Complex Ltd for hosting 2022 IMPEL conference, organised by the Environment and Resources Authority. |
| 15 September 2022 | 6,449.15 | Awarded to Dolmen Complex Ltd. for hosting The National Youth Conference, organised by Agenzija Żgħażagħ. Uncertain if awarded by direct order or tender. |
| 27-30 September 2022 | 55,081.15 | Awarded to Hilton Hotel for hosting the General Assembly and Annual Meeting of the World Federation of Exchanges, organised by Malta Stock Exchange. Uncertain if awarded by direct order or tender. |
| 31 October 2022 | 846,180.10 | Direct order awarded to Eldercare Operations by the Ministry for Active Ageing for the provision of long term care beds at Dar l-Annunzjata. |
| 29 November 2022-02 December 2022 | 45,313.00 | Direct order awarded to Hilton Malta for hosting the Eighth Meeting of The Parties to the Agreement on the Accobams, organised by Environment Resources Authority and the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise. |
| 3 December 2022 | 5,361.01 | Awarded to Hilton Malta for hosting Ċelebrazzjoni Żgħażagħ Ewropej 2022, organised by Kunsill Nazzjonali Żgħażagħ |
| 01 April 2023 | 9,800.00 | Awarded to Spinola Developments for hosting MASP Awards 2022, organised by Ministry for Public Works and Planning, the President of Malta, and the Planning Authority. Uncertain whether awarded by direct order or tender. |
| 29 May 2023 | 10,472.85 | Awarded to Hilton Hotel for hosting Games of the Small States of Europe Ministerial Conference, organised by Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation. Uncertain if awarded by direct order or tender. |
| 08 June 2023 | 3,511,206.72 | Direct order awarded to Eldercare Operations for long term care beds, handled by the Ministry for Active Ageing. |
| 26 June 2023 | 30,910.00 | Direct order awarded to Hilton Hotel for hosting Malta Financial Services Authority conference. |
| 31 August 2023 | 3,000.00 | Direct order awarded to Hilton Hotel for hosting Malta Philharmonic Season Opening Concert, organised by Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, Arts Council Malta and the Ministry for National Heritage, The Arts and Local Government. |
| 13 September 2023 | 9,038.00 | Direct order awarded to Spinola Developments for hosting FinaceMalta’s 16th annual conference, organised by FinanceMalta and the Ministry for Finance and Employment. |
| 16 November 2023 | 17,450.00 | Direct order awarded to Hilton Hotel for hosting Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation conference, organised by Malta Financial Services Authority. |
| 01 December 2023 | 6,386.03 | Direct order awarded to Hilton for hosting FEMA Master in Accountancy Conference, organised by the University of Malta. |