Prime Minister Robert Abela has denied his involvement in the privatisation deal with Vitals Global Healthcare and Steward Healthcare with the government.
When questioned by journalists, Abela said outright that he had no involvement in the deal, which was struck back in 2015.
The government had granted a concession to Vitals Global Healthcare so it could run St Luke’s Hospital, Karin Grech Hospital and the Gozo General Hospital.
The concession had been negotiated by the then health minister Konrad Mizzi. The deal with the VGH consortium caused many to question the deal, with Vitals selling the concession to Steward Healthcare together with €55 million in debts accused by VGH to the price of €1.
Abela himself was the legal advisor to Joseph Muscat, the prime minister at the time of the transfer. Abela also stated that he and a number of ministers met to analyse the decision and stated that they plan on filing a court application so the time period for appeal is reduced.
“If that request is met by the courts, we will also be requesting that appeal is heard with urgency,” Abela said. He also assured people that services at the hospitals would not be affected by the decision.
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