Malta’s ex-PM attacks judiciary as charges filed against him in hospitals probe

Malta’s former prime minister Joseph Muscat and current Prime Minister Robert Abela have been called out for attacking the judiciary with the former now facing criminal charges in the latest instalment of a money laundering scandal that has sent shockwaves through the country and the socialist Malta Labour Party (PES).

The Attorney General has also filed charges against former minister Konrad Mizzi, former chief of staff Keith Schembri, and at least 16 other individuals over a ‘fraudulent’ hospitals concession that saw Maltese taxpayers lose hundreds of millions of euros in a failed public private partnership.

Muscat responded to the charges by calling it a “disgrace and abomination” and attacking the judiciary, stating, “All those who tainted themselves with this injustice, or washed their hands from trying to correct it, will be judged in the harshest way by the people immediately, by justice over the years and by history forever.”

The former prime minister, named the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project’s Most Corrupt Person 2019 and who was forced in 2020 to resign in the aftermath of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, added: “I am ready for the fight against those who want to take revenge on the Maltese.”

On Monday, 22 student organisations at the University of Malta issued a statement condemning the attacks against the country’s judiciary by “the highest government officials”.

“The student body condemns recent attacks on members of the Judiciary. The Rule of Law requires that the Judiciary is allowed to function without undue pressure. Comments made by the highest government officials which devalue the work and tarnish the reputation and integrity of the judiciary have no place in a parliamentary democracy founded on the rule of law,” the statement published by the Times of Malta reads.

They noted how since the magisterial inquiry was concluded, Prime Minister Robert Abela has tried to undermine the results, first by stating it was politically motivated ahead of the EU elections and then by calling it “hearsay”. Since then, Abela has also called on voters to “show what they think of the judiciary”.

Muscat has been criticised by journalists and civil society for undermining the judiciary and attacking the inquiring magistrate for several years, calling it “political terrorism” and a “vendetta”.

Nationalist Party and opposition leader Bernard Grech has also repeatedly called on the government to cease their attacks and to let justice run its course.

Arrainged under summons

The Times of Malta reported that Muscat, his former ministers, and the other individuals have been arraigned under summons, not arrest. This means they will be required to appear in court on a specific date to face the charges and will be free to go afterwards instead of facing remand in custody.

It is not yet known what charges the trio will face, but they are expected to relate to money laundering. Some local media has reported that Muscat will face charges relating to corruption and fraud amounting to €30 million.

Chris Fearne, minister for EU funds, former health minister between 2016 and 2024, and Malta’s pick for Commissioner after the June vote, has also reportedly been named in the inquiry on suspicion of money laundering in connection with a controversial hospital  findings. He has denied any wrongdoing and it is not known if he is among those to face charges.

Now that the charges have been filed in court, the court registrar will process them and allocate them, by lot, to a magistrate. A date for the arraignment will then be set, and those named in the charges will be notified of the nature of the charges and when they must appear.

In 2014, a group of investors signed a memorandum of understanding with the newly elected Labour government. This group would then form Vitals Global Healthcare and win a government tender in 2015 to run three state hospitals, create new beds, and build new premises. Despite receiving hundreds of millions of euros in taxpayers’ money, they did not deliver on their promises.

A few years later, Steward Healthcare, linked to the US healthcare giant, took over the concession. The concession continued to fail to honour its obligations and eventually gave up, leaving the island with piles of debt and unpaid bills to tax authorities and vendors. None of the tender promises were delivered on.

In late 2023, a court found the deal appeared to be “fraudulent” and that there had been “collusion between Steward and senior government officials or its agencies.”

While the findings  of the magisterial inquiry have not yet been made public, it is believed that, aside from his involvement in the fraudulent deal, he may have received over half a million euros in kickbacks.

But this is not the only scandal that the three politicians are implicated in as multiple questions hang over a controversial gas deal which could result in EU funds ending up in the hands of the man currently on trial for masterminding the assassination of Caruana Galizia.

The Party of European Socialists which the Malta Labour Party belongs to has not responded to Euractiv’s questions on whether they distance themselves from the scandal and the attacks.

(Alice Taylor | Euractiv.com)

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