Grech says final decision on hospitals deal can confirm fraud again

The final decision to annul contracts related to the privatisation of three state hospitals will prove that the deal is fraudulent, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said on Sunday.

“Of course, the court has to take a decision, and we hope that the court will confirm what the first court hearing said. Why? Because the court has already confirmed this is a fraudulent case,” Grech said on NET TV.

The final judgment is slated to be delivered on Monday, following several months since the last oral submissions in the appeals lodged by Stewards Health Care Malta were presented.

Grech underlined the anticipation surrounding the verdict, saying, "we eagerly await the ruling to validate the initial court judgment."

He criticised the delay in reclaiming the €400 million allocated to Vitals, asserting that the timing is contingent on Prime Minister Robert Abela's willingness to pursue legal action. 

"People who engaged in disability fraud and received unwarranted funds were rightly prosecuted," Grech pointed out, "but when it comes to those who acquired millions through the hospital deal, Abela seems hesitant to seek the return of the money."

Grech alleged that the government's reluctance to take Stewards to court is rooted in an apparent collusion between the two parties, characterising the government as one that "harbours individuals with questionable intentions."

In a landmark ruling back in February, the court invalidated the government's agreements with Vitals and later Steward Healthcare for the management of three publicly-owned hospitals. 

The judgment stipulated that Gozo General Hospital, St Luke's Hospital, and Karin Grech Hospital should revert to government control.

This extensive 136-page judgment condemned Vitals and Stewards for their "fraudulent" conduct while also castigating government officials for their incompetence in overseeing the deal.

Steward Malta then filed an appeal, contending that it had been deceived by the Maltese government, which allegedly failed to fulfill its promises. 

The appeal also included a request for a preliminary ruling from the European Court of Justice, but the Court of Appeal rejected this request.