More than two months have passed since a court of law rescinded a deal the government had reached to transfer three public hospitals to the private sector, and Prime Minister Robert Abela is still dragging his feet to take legal action to recover the money, Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech said Wednesday.

In a press conference outside St Luke’s Hospital, one of the three hospitals involved, Grech said that €400 million had been handed over to Steward in what the court had described as a “fraudulent deal”.

On 24 February, the court had ruled that the hospitals are returned to the public. Steward has since appealed the judgment but chose to pull out. The case had been filed by then Opposition Leader Adrian Delia.

Grech said that PM Abela should defend the people not whoever is corrupt and a criminal. As such, he should do his duty, rather than expose himself as being weak, compromised and sacred. He should choose the Maltese patients, the workers and their families, Grech said.

Delia said that Abela is still defending Steward and has not taken responsibility for all that has taken place. By not appealing the judgment, the government had accepted the court ruling, but now the people expected the government to act to safeguard their interests. By appointing the Auditor General to investigate the matter, Abela was admitting that he did not know where the government’s money had been used.

PN spokesman for health Stephen Spiteri said that the deal had been a disservice to the sector, and the situation in health was going from bad to worse.