[WATCH] Thousands respond to PN’s anti-corruption protest in Valletta as parliament debates Steward deal

Protestors voiced their anger at government over the fraudulent Steward hospitals deal at the end of an urgent parliamentary debate on Monday.

Thousands responded to the Nationalist Party’s call to gather outside parliament in Valletta following Friday’s court decision to annul the Steward contract.

The noisy crowd was kept back from parliament’s perimeter by metal barriers that were set up early in the afternoon. There was also a sizeable police presence.

When Prime Minister Robert Abela exited parliament after the debate, the crowd surged forward in anger, pushing the barriers forward by at least a metre as they booed and accused the government of corruption.

PN officials were seen trying to calm down the crowd and asking them to back off from the barriers.

Chants of ‘thieves, thieves’ rang out loud in Freedom Square as Abela walked away from parliament. The crowd then burst into applause when PN MPs exited the building and made their way towards a stage set up in the square.

Opposition leader Bernard Grech thanked the people for responding to the PN’s call and for standing up to corruption. He asked people to join the party again on Sunday for a national protest against corruption.

The protest ended with the Maltese national anthem.

On Friday, a judge struck down the hospitals concession deal and all side agreements in a scathing judgment that attributed fraudulent intent to Vitals Global Healthcare and its successor Steward Healthcare.

The judge also expressed serious concern over the failure of public officials to flag the shortcomings in the deal, singling out Konrad Mizzi for entering into a number of agreements with Steward that put the government with its back to the wall.