Vitals, Steward and Accutor heads among 34 people to face criminal charges over hospitals deal

The individuals running Vitals, Steward and Accutor are among a list of 34 individuals to be criminally charged in connection to the hospitals deal magisterial inquiry.

Charges were recommended by investigators against the man believed to be running Vitals Shaukat Ali Chaudhry, managing directors Sri Ram Tumuluri and Mark Edward Pawley, Vitals CEO and later managing director Armin Ernst, Steward CEO Ralph De La Torre, and Accutor AG owner Attaul Wasay Bhatti.

The criminal charges they face are: money laundering, trading in influence, criminal conspiracy and bribery of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, former minister Konrad Mizzi and former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri.

They also recommended charging Chaudhry and Tumuluri with making fraudulent gains and obtaining money by false pretenses, and charging Tumuluri, Pawley, and Ernst with alleged document forgery – with Pawley also facing allegations of making a false statement in a public document.

Investigators further believe Chaudhry should be charged with allegedly promoting an organization to commit a crime and complicity in crime, while Tumuluri should be charged with alleged fraud to the detriment of the tax commissioner.

The six individuals, along with 28 others ranging from family members to business partners and employees, form a third group set to face serious criminal charges. All those named in this group are believed to reside abroad.

31 companies owned or legally represented by these individuals were also singled out by the investigators including Vitals Global Healthcare Limited, Steward Healthcare International Limited and Accutor Consulting AG.

READ ALSO: Muscat consultancies netted him €450,000 after 2020

The magisterial inquiry

Magistrate Gabriella Vella, who was investigating the sale of three public hospitals to Vitals Global Healthcare, concluded her report and passed it on to the Attorney General last week.

The inquiry was initiated in 2019 on Repubblika’s initiative.

Joseph Muscat had tried to remove the magistrate from the inquiry, insisting she had a conflict because her relatives were publicly critical of him. He also complained of constant leaks from the inquiry and decried the magistrate’s refusal to let him testify before her.

In January 2022, as part of the inquiry, police officers searched Muscat’s Burmarrad home and seized several electronic devices.

READ ALSO: From deal to big steal: The Vitals timeline