Former Health Minister Chris Fearne has called for police action against those behind a €6 million smear campaign targeting him.

Reacting to revelations by Times of Malta, The Boston Globe, and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Fearne asserted his integrity, highlighting his commitment to Malta’s national interests as health minister.

Leaked records revealed that former hospital concessionaires Steward Health Care orchestrated the campaign to falsely accuse Fearne of corruption.

The €6.5 million operation aimed to undermine perceived opponents through tactics such as manipulating bank records, accessing phone data, and spreading fabricated media stories about Maltese officials.

These actions were coordinated by senior Steward officials in collaboration with two London-based intelligence firms, Audere International and CT Group.

Fearne condemned the campaign, detailing how it sought to eliminate him politically by first searching for incriminating evidence and then fabricating it when none was found. He emphasised that the malicious scheme was designed to impede his duties towards his patients, ministry, and country.

Allegations against Fearne and top ministry official Carmen Ciantar regarding kickbacks on a passport sale emerged in mid-2023, but both denied the claims and reported them to the police, who quickly deemed the story false.

Fearne now urges the police to investigate the sources of these deceptive reports and pursue criminal charges against those responsible.

Meanwhile, Fearne continues to defend himself in court against charges related to the Vitals-Steward hospital privatisation deal, which was annulled last year. He maintains his plea of not guilty and seeks to have the charges dismissed.

#MaltaDaily