[WATCH] PN leader says secret negotiations will earn Steward €100 million if contract fails

Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia accused the government of having secretly negotiated an agreement with Steward, which will eventually give them €100 million once hospital contracts are cancelled. 

In an interview hosted by Dione Borg on the party’s television station NET TV, Delia said that Konrad Mizzi inexplicably shifted the contract terms, making it more favourable to Steward. 

“This was done while courts and the National Audit Office were investigating the original contract,” he said. 

This week, parliament debated the Opposition’s motion to cancel the deal, but the it failed to pass. 

The PN leader also made reference to step-in clause in the contract which allowed government to take over the hospitals in case of a health emergency. 

He also promised that the Opposition would be ensuring the hospitals are given back to the people, with those responsible in drawing up the deal made to pay the consequences. 

World Press Freedom Day 

Speaking on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, Delia called out the PM over comments made to journalists in a press-conference on Workers’ Day, where Abela told journalists to stick to the subject in hand when asking questions. 

Contrasting Abela’s actions to his own, Delia said that he would be inviting journalists from all media houses to interview him every Saturday. 

He also stated that someone from ONE Television will also be invited. 

Delia also said that he has written to the Speaker of the House Angelo Farrugia to rename a parliament hall after slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. 

On COVID-19, the PN leader called out government for its lack of engagement with the opposition.

He also urged government to explore the use of more digital platforms.