Former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday said he was not able to comment on the National Audit Office report regarding Mater Dei Hospital, at least not until he reads it.

He was contacted by The Malta Independent yesterday for his comments about the NAO report which was presented to Parliament on Tuesday.

The National Audit Office recently concluded its investigation into the process, from design to eventual closure, of the Mater Dei Hospital (MDH) project, stating that a comprehensive investigation was not possible due to "significant lack of documentation."

On 12 June 2015, the Minister for Finance requested the National Audit Office (NAO) to investigate, citing concerns relating to governance, transparency, and financial management.  Among other things, the NAO in a statement noted that “It is of the opinion that the Foundation for Medical Services’  inability to provide this basic information represents an institutional failure and gross negligence in the administration of public funds. Moreover, an inadequate and unreliable audit trail detracts from the expected level of accountability, transparency, fairness, and governance warranted in this national project."

When former Prime Minister Gonzi was contacted by this newsroom, and asked for his reaction to the report, he said he was in a conference abroad and could not comment at this stage, noting that he hadn’t seen the report or anything written about it.

This newsroom highlighted that the report was rather damning, and that the case occurred under his administration, however he said that when he’s abroad attending a conference and is not focussed on the issue, he feels uncomfortable answering questions on any topic.

This newsroom then asked if he would be willing to answer questions once he reads the report, to which he said “that could be the case, I don’t know. What I can tell you is that I am not comfortable at the moment, I’m half way through a conference, I’m with people and can’t talk the way I should right now.”

Asked if this newsroom could arrange something when he returns, and when he would return, he did not commit himself in any way. He said he would have to see the report and then decide later on if he would comment or not.