‘Robert Abela chooses to be complicit in corruption’ - PN on Vitals hospitals deal

The Nationalist Party reiterated its pledge to renationalise three hospitals after an Indian contractor said it will withhold contract details due to possible political controversy.

“The more details emerge about the corrupt hospitals deal, the more we can confirm that the Vitals contract is rotten,” the party said in a statement.

On Sunday, MaltaToday reported that Indian engineering giant Shapoorji Pallonji (Malta) is contesting an €8.39 million tax bill under an invoice Shapoorji says was left unpaid by Vitals Global Healthcare.

The Malta subsidiary of Dubai-based Shapoorji Pallonji International FZC had signed a contract with Vitals Global Healthcare and Vitals Global Healthcare Management in 2016.

READ ALSO: Hospital contractors Vitals chose refusing to pay €8.4 million tax bill

Under the terms of the contract, Shapoorji was engaged to design and build projects at St. Luke’s Hospital, Karin Grech Hospital and Gozo General Hospital. The agreement was, unusually, not exhibited in court together with the sworn application due to its confidential contents, which head of HR Hemnath Kathiresan explained could cause “controversy of a political nature.”

“Robert Abela and the Labour government are ignoring the facts. They’re passing money through a corrupt and untenable deal. With this attitude, they continue being complicit in the theft of milions from the pockets of Malta and Gozo.”