Both the government and the Labour Party – in separate statements issued within three minutes of each other – took exception to the Opposition Leader’s request to the police to investigate the hospitals’ deal, following a judgment given by the court of appeal on Monday.

In the judgment, the Appeals Court confirmed the annulment of the deal which saw the transfer of three public hospitals to the private sector. Following the judgment, the Nationalist Party called upon the police to investigate the agreement.

In a reaction, the government said that “the Opposition is lying when it says that €400 million to Steward Health Care, for which the country got nothing. When Steward Malta was operating the hospitals, thousands of Maltese and Gozitan patients were given a service by these hospitals, and the government paid for it, as it has to pay today when months ago it took control of the hospitals.”

The Opposition is also lying when it says that the government is doing nothing to recoup the money that was paid out. The government already made its case in international arbitration, where it is making requests in Malta’s interest.

Instead of partisan political games, the government hopes that it will find the Opposition’s support in the case that it is fighting in the name of the people, the government said.

The Labour Party said that the actions of the Leader of the Opposition are only actions of those who want to try and manipulate the institutions and not let them work serenely.

The Opposition Leader uses the power of his position to interfere and put undue pressure on the courts and the police.

The Opposition wants to dictate to the institutions, the PL said. If these same people would be in government, they would be the ones to decide who is investigated.” The PL allege that the Opposition’s actions would reduce the trust the people have if the institutions were to march to the beat of the Opposition’s drum.