Prime Minister Robert Abela does not want to say whether he will be filing a court case against Stewards Health Care to recoup some €300 million in taxpayer funds related to the fraudulent concession of three public hospitals.
Challenged in parliament by PN MP Darren Carabott, the Prime Minister refused to give a clear answer, citing ongoing legal procedures.
Following last Sunday’s protest against the €4 billion deal, an amount confirmed in Judge Depasquale’s ruling that ordered the contract be dismissed, Carabott reiterated the opposition’s challenge and asked Abela whether he is going to follow up with a court case to recover the hundreds of millions paid to Vitals Global Healthcare and Steward Health Care.
Instead of giving a straight reply, Abela said his government wanted to know whether an appeal would be filed against the Court’s ruling by third parties before deciding on any further action.
“It will be only after a potential appeal is decided that we will explore avenues to protect the national interest in the best possible way,” Abela told Carabott.
While Abela is trying to distance himself from the corrupt deal, putting all the blame on his predecessor Joseph Muscat, millions in payments given to Steward were approved by Abela in three consecutive budgets under his administration.
For years, the PN opposition, the nurse’s union MUMN and the Medical Association of Malta (MUM) warned about the fraudulent deal signed by Labour in 2015.
Still, Abela kept defending the deal and forking out some €80 million a year to Steward while his Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne had given his consent to Steward buying the Vitals concession, calling it as “the real deal.”
Muscat conducted the deal with the help of several enablers, including former Ministers Konrad Mizzi, Chris Cardona and Edward Scicluna, the focus of an ongoing magisterial inquiry initiated in 2019.
To be fair, one has to wait whether Steward will appeal and on what grounds.
If the appeal is rejected then I trust that the government does it’s duty through all legal means available and those directly involved in this fraudulent deal are brought to justice.
What funds could be recovered again depends on the best legal minds available in Malta.
the stolen money are already safe far away to be used when escaping justice. Mafiamalta as long as the corrupt government is in power. When is the next demonstration ? we need to have one at least on w weekly basis.
To be fair we should have never been in this situation!
Robert Abela would not want to sue Steward Health Care because they will most likely, during proceedings, uncover who and how much the beneficiaries of this deal acquired. The truth about this deal will have to remain hidden otherwise even the gahans will realise how corrupt their beloved partit tal-haddiem is.
Correct , labour will not investigate labour.
Nistennew u naraw PACENZJA. BISS L ISTORJA MA TIQAFX HAWN ZGURRRRRR
I am morally convinced that Lord Voldemort has a finger in the pie !! He and his cronies are not imbeciles.
Of course bob will not commit himself. Issa l-poplu gahan jibqa’ bli ha. HALLELIN TA FLUS IL-HADDIEM. ISTHI bob.
Of course he’s not going to sue, imagine just how many Mafia will be exposed and have to pay up if they are successful. No it won’t happen, he’s been told.
Robert Abela has the duty to recoup the money from Vitals/Steward Health Care. If he doesn’t start proceedings ,it will be a proof that Abela is acting against Malta’s interest and in that case he has to be removed by hook or by crook.
If Robert does not sue Steward to recoup monies, then he could be called a traitor of Malta and of the Maltese.
if yow want all this to stop you know what you have to do, come election day….
What is absolutely mind boggling, is the fact that Boppy is considering to once again offer the three hospitals as a concession!!!!!! This only shows to prove that there is another pack of sharks lurking in the background, who are very, very eager to dip their finger into this mega lucrative pie!!!
Yep, after a few years, same project will fall out of grace and ergo, we will once again go through the same process of querying where hundreds of millions have disappeared to?
Ifrah ja Gahan…..!