On August 1, 2025, government agency Infrastructure Malta awarded a €6 million direct order to Elbros Construction Ltd for the reconstruction of the quarter-mile drag racing strip in Ħal Far.
The announcement, published in the Government Gazette (page 10338), has raised concerns about possible misuse of public procurement regulations.
In response, Carmel Cacopardo, Deputy Chairperson of ADPD–The Green Party, has formally requested the Auditor General to investigate the matter.
In his letter, Cacopardo questioned whether Infrastructure Malta was engaging in “blatant abuse” of procurement rules when issuing such a large direct order. He referred specifically to Regulation 151 of the 2016 Public Procurement Regulations, which governs the issuing of direct orders.
“This is a matter that requires urgent scrutiny,” Cacopardo argued, insisting that transparency and accountability must be upheld in the handling of multi-million-euro public funds.
The €6 million contract, excluding VAT, was granted without a public tender, raising fresh debate about government spending practices and the frequent use of direct orders in Malta.
Neither Infrastructure Malta nor Elbros Construction have yet commented on the concerns raised.
News Editor
Journalist and Newscaster
Leave a Reply