Carmen Ciantar cleared of bribery allegations

Carmen Ciantar has been informed that police have concluded investigations into bribery allegations made against her, and there are no grounds for criminal action.

The head of the Foundation for Medical Services tendered her suspension last May after a Pakistani news portal reported that she received bribes from a company linked to Vitals Global Healthcare. Ciantar had withdrew her self-suspension last July.

She had flatly refuted the allegations, and said she will use all measures available at law to defend her reputation and integrity.

Health Minister Chris Fearne had accepted her suspension and urged police to investigate the bribery allegations.

In a letter to Ciantar, Superintendent James Grech from the Financial Crimes Investigations Department said the matter has been “exhaustively and thoroughly investigated”.

“Thus, police investigations in your regards, into these allegations are being closed,” he said.

Ciantar went on to file a legal request to testify in front of the inquiring magistrate probing corruption allegations in connection to the hospitals concession awarded to Vitals Global Healthcare and later Steward Healthcare.

The bribery reports against Ciantar raised eyebrows as they were appearing almost exclusively in Pakistani media, with several websites publishing the same exact news article word-for-word.

The stories were reported on Daily Pakistan, Samaa English TV, The Pakistan Daily, Global Village Space, Dunya News and Pakistan Observer.

Carmen Ciantar statement

After being cleared from any wrong doing, Ciantar said the only conclusion that can be drawn is that outlets tried to push their story using false, fraudulent and trumped-up documents. “As I declared from the outset, this was a frame up from beginning to end.”

“Now that the truth has come out, now that the institutions have worked, only one thing remains to be unearthed. Who were the well-funded dark forces who tried to execute this nefarious frame up?” she said. “Finally, allow me to express my heartfelt thanks to all those who stood by me during this horrible ordeal. More broadly, it was of great comfort that no one I met, absolutely no one, needed the police to know the truth.”