Prime Minister insists ‘political responsibility’ must be shouldered over weak concrete

Prime Minister insists ‘political responsibility’ must be shouldered

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that political responsibility must be shouldered over the weak concrete used during the construction of Mater Dei Hospital.

In brief comments to TVM while in Riga, Muscat said that Swedish contractors Skanska had to look at the issue seriously and that they had a reputation to defend.

“Irrespective of any sort of agreement that might have been reached before, Skanska must tackled this case seriously,” he said.

Reiterating the government’s call for political responsibility to be shouldered, Muscat said that there existed “issues with certain agreements reached with Skanska”, and went on to call for political responsibility.

Taking umbrage at Busuttil’s comments over the hospital, Muscat said the PN had accused government of mudslinging over the case: “It turns out that the mud was stronger than the concrete used.”

Muscat said that it was “not on” for Busuttil to rubbish the case and he must shoulder responsibility for having done so.

In a reaction, the PN accused the government of publishing the ARUP structural assessment report - a report commissioned by the government to analyse the hospital's physical structure - to deviate attention from the controversy surrounding the Jordanian investment.