Greens urge government to deposit all upcoming payments to Steward in court

ADPD said that employees and suppliers delivering healthcare services in the Steward hospitals should receive payments from the funds due to Stewards under the direction of the Courts

Carmel Cacopardo said that government has to ensure that the taxpayer money is safeguarded in the best way possible (Photo: ADPD)
Carmel Cacopardo said that government has to ensure that the taxpayer money is safeguarded in the best way possible (Photo: ADPD)

ADPD – The Green Party is insisting that all upcoming payments to Steward Healthcare are deposited in court until the contract is finally terminated, whether by court decision or otherwise.

During a press conference in front of the Law Courts in Valletta, the Greens said that whist the Civil Court decision was welcome, this was only the first step in what is possibly a long process that may trigger several additional legal actions.

Last February the courts annulled the contract between the government and Steward Healthcare for the concession St Luke’s Hospital, Karin Grech Hospital, and the Gozo General Hospital.

In the meantime, employees and suppliers delivering healthcare services in the three Steward hospitals should receive payments from the funds due to Stewards under the direction of the Courts, ADPD said.

They argued that the government should be clear on how it will proceed with the recinding of the Steward hospital Public Private Partnership, in the light of both the reports by the Auditor General on bad governance and breaches of contract and following the judgement by the courts.

“Had the government been serious, it should not have waited for the court judgement to act, but should have acted earlier – it already had all the information it needed,” ADPD Secretary General Ralph Cassar said.

Party Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo emphasised on the importance that the government ensures that the taxpayer money is safeguarded in the best way possible while allowing for the legal process to take its course.

Cacopardo said that this is why the party is insisting that all future payments to Steward are deposited in court, instead of these being paid over directly to Steward Healthcare.

He said that whenever possible like in the case of payments to employees and suppliers, these should be made under the court’s direction and deducted from the amount that is deposited in court.

“Only by doing so will we ensure that public funds are adequately protected," Cacopardo argued.

"It is paramount that Robert Abela, Chris Fearne and Clyde Caruana act in the best interests of the public exchequer, this is why we are also asking the government for full disclosure: tell the people what we owe Steward in full. We must know. This is ultimately our money and we have a right to know".

Cacopardo said that what happened with Vitals and Steward should never have happened. He said that if the annulment of the contract is confirmed on appeal, the process for recovery of money that has already been paid to Vitals and Steward will need to kick off immediately.

"We have a challenge before us. It is crucial that each and every one of us stands up to be counted," Cacopardo concluded.