PN leader Bernard Grech has called for an immediate investigation into former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s receipt of €60,000 in return for consultancy work for a Swiss company with close ties to Steward Health Care.
In a statement shared to Facebook, Grech also called on Muscat’s successor – Robert Abela – to disassociate himself from the former Prime Minister, noting that if he did not then it would be clear that Abela was still in Muscat’s pocket.
More than 48 hours have passed since the Times of Malta published the news tying Muscat to the €60,000 payment which Grech said was made in “dubious circumstances.”
On Sunday, Times of Malta reported that a Swiss company that had been involved in the concession transfer negotiations – Accutor AG – paid Muscat €60,000 for consultancy services in 2020, after he had stepped down as PM.
Accutor had previously received some €3.6 million from Steward, with a €2.49 million payment being made on the same day it finalised the takeover from VGH.
The PN leader said that so far, Robert Abela had only said what was known already: that there is a magisterial inquiry about the sale of three hospitals. The police, Grech said, had not reacted thus far.
At the same time, Grech noted, Muscat is saying that the money was paid in return for legitimate work and that the story was painting an altogether different picture.
The PN leader said that the Financial Crimves Investigation Department within the Police and the FIAU should “without delay” investigate Muscat – whom he called “the big fish” – rather than besiege families with businesses and businessmen and professionals who do their work diligently but feel persecuted.
“We expect that the Police Commissioner opens an investigation into the payments which Joseph Muscat received,” the PN leader said.
The Malta Independent revealed on Tuesday that the police have been working hand-in-hand with inquiring magistrate Gabriella Vella on the case, and that the magisterial inquiry has known about the payments for a number of weeks.
Grech said that the facts which were revealed on Sunday raise “major suspicions” over projects which involve the Maltese government and millions in taxpayers money.
“It’s no wonder that Joseph Muscat will be written in history as one of the most corrupt politicians in the world,” Grech said.
Grech added that transactions such as these, especially when one considers that Muscat himself had said that he would not work with companies connected to government contracts, should be investigated immediately and that the police should explain what action they are taking so that the Maltese and Gozitan people can have their minds at rest that they are working.
He noted that, thus far, investigations seemed to have stopped a layer away from politicians – and added that politicians are not “untouchables”, and need to be held responsible the most.
“Malta wants to see concrete results, and not 20 open cases with nothing happening. In two years of investigations, nobody has been charged,” Grech noted.
The PN leader then turned his sights to Prime Minister Robert Abela, saying that he must disassociate himself from his predecessor Muscat and allow the police to do their job.
“If he does not do this, then Robert Abela will be confirming that he is still protecting Joseph Muscat and is acting as per his instructions. No wonder Robert Abela doesn’t think that we cannot get out of the greylist as soon as possible,” Grech said.
The PN leader said that he is convinced that if the police and all of the country’s institutions do their jobs, then Malta can start to get its credibility back.