PN insists public is the sole victim of the Steward hospitals deal

Bernard Grech says public is sole victim of fraudulent hospitals deal in build up to Thursday's parliamentary discussion on a motion asking government to sue Steward

Opposition leader Bernard Grech (left) flanked by Adrian Delia (centre) and Stephen Spiteri outside Auberge de Castille
Opposition leader Bernard Grech (left) flanked by Adrian Delia (centre) and Stephen Spiteri outside Auberge de Castille

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech insists patients and the the public were the sole victims of the fraudulent Steward hospitals deal in a direct jibe at former prime minister Joseph Muscat.

"The money supplied for the fraudulent contract belongs to the people. Not only is the government not the victim, but it is also solely responsible for the fraud and theft," Grech said on Tuesday outside the Office of the Prime Minister at Castille Square.

Grech was joined by PN MPs Adrian Delia and Stephen Spiteri as he rallied support ahead of Thursday's parliamentary discussion on a motion condemning the deal and asking government to sue Steward. The PN has also called on people to protest outside parliament on Thursday.

On Monday, Joseph Muscat refused to apologise for the hospitals concession deal and argued that the government was the victim of fraud in comments to reporters.

"When he took over the government, he mistook people's things for his... 'Malta tagħna lkoll' meant that he owned everything in Malta," Grech said.

Government paid Steward ahead of time for non-existent investment, Adrian Delia noted. Reacting to Prime Minister Robert Abela's comments on Sunday, Delia said the Prime Minister was aware of Konrad Mizzi's side agreement with Steward Healthcare from August 2019 before it was reported by the media.

"Three years ago, when he became prime minister, Abela was examining the paperwork... as a result, he was aware of the side agreements, and instead of opposing them, defended them in court," Delia said. 

Stephen Spiteri said the deal put Malta in debt, both financially and in the health sector.