PN complains to TVM after station fails to report Vitals court case

With no mention of the Vitals hearing in the 8pm national news bulletin, the Nationalist Party has filed a complaint with TVM and the Broadcasting Authority for the “lack of impartiality” this created.

The party’s secretary-general Francis Zammit Dimech penned the complaint towards PBS head Norma Saliba after no mention was made of the case, nor of former PN leader Adrian Delia’s statement after the hearing, in TVM’s evening news report.

“I’m sure you know that the ex-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat testified during the case, and among other things it was confirmed in his testimony that Vitals fulfilled almost none of what was supposed to be a large investment in the health sector of our country,” the party says in its complaint.

“This grave incompetence from TVM has created a situation of a lack of impartiality within the national station, and an imbalance against the Nationalist Party on something that is without a doubt a current political controversy.”

As a result of this, the party is asking for an immediate remedy to be granted as provided by law.

Yesterday’s hearing saw ex-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat give testimony on the transfer of three public hospitals to Vitals Global Healthcare.

Among other things, he defended his government’s decision to task the running of the Gozo General Hospital, St Luke’s and Karin Grech Rehabilitation Centre to VGH.

He said that the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Malta Enterprise and a group of private investors towards the end of 2014 was terminated at the start of 2015, with a request for proposals issued a few months later.

The tender was eventually awarded to the same group of investors.

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