Opposition Leader Bernard Grech and PN MP Adrian Delia have filed a judicial protest, giving the Police commissioner, Attorney General and State Advocate one week to take action following the decision by the Court of Appeal over the hospitals deal.

Grech, speaking outside the law courts in Valletta, said that the Opposition continued pressuring for a police investigation to take place and for the needed steps to be taken, "after last week the judgement by the Court of Appeal condemned the government, and also foreign contractors which the government was in collusion with to take the three hospitals and €400 million which belongs to the Maltese people."

The judicial protest, signed by lawyer Edward Debono, is the first step before further legal action is taken. It lists all the people and companies who should answer for their part in the deal.

Grech and Delia gave the Police Commissioner, the State Advocate and the Attorney General a week to answer, warning of further legal steps in default.

"Three days ago I gave the Police Commissioner three days to take clear action. It is evident that today, on the third day, the Police Commissioner doesn't want to do anything, doesn't want to do his job."

Grech said that the Police Commissioner wants to continue in his 'betrayal', also saying that Joseph Muscat, Robert Abela and the Attorney General committed a 'betrayal'.

"That is why this morning, Adrian and I came to court to file a judicial protest, in which we are pushing for the Police Commissioner, State Advocate and Attorney General do what they need to do, to take the needed steps after the court decision."

"The dragging of feet is no longer acceptable. If these people continue to do nothing, we reserve the right to take other action. As we, according to the court, are the only ones looking after the interest of the country, it is unacceptable that those who are meant to be doing their duty continue not to."

Delia described the Court of Appeal's judgement as 'unprecedented'. He said that "aside from dropping all the contracts related to the biggest fraud in the country's history, it found that there was collusion between the government and the foreign companies Vitals and Steward, that defrauded the Maltese people in the hospitals deal and took €400 million of our money."

Delia said that the court found criminal actions. "After nine days, no steps have been taken." He reiterated that in the Judicial Protest, they are asking the Police commissioner, Attorney General and State Advocate to do their duty.

"If there was illegal action by any other person, steps would already have been taken," Delia said.

"We presented a list of people, companies, company officials and top government exponents who were involved, in some way, in this fraudulent deal. Steps must be taken. Everyone must answer for their actions. In a normal democratic country, those who make a mistake must suffer the consequences and steps must be taken against those who did wrong."

Delia said that the appeal decision wasn't the end of the fight for justice, "but just the beginning of a war that needs to take place against wrong, against illegalities, against criminality in our country, and we need to show that in our country there is still the will, at least by the Opposition, for good to win, for the whole truth to emerge. The truth came out, but that truth implicates consequences."

"We will not stop before all the steps are taken for full justice."

Asked why the Opposition filed a Judicial Protest instead of taking other legal procedures, Grech said that when one intends to take action, the first step they must do is warn, and so the judicial protest has this scope. He said it is warning everyone, not just the Police Commissioner, Attorney General and State Advocate, but also every person indicated in the judicial protest. He said the Opposition is reserving the right to take action against any or all of them. "We are holding them personally responsible through this protest."

"When the small fish break the law, they are charged, and that is how it should be as that is the rule of law," he said, but added that when stronger people, the big fish, nothing happens. "This is not acceptable, the law is there for everyone."

Asked why the Opposition isn't waiting for the magisterial inquiry to end, Grech gave an example. "Imagine someone kills people with a gun, what do the police do, wait for an inquiry to end, or go arrest, investigate, collect evidence and charge in court? In this case there was no murder, but there was a theft from the people's pockets, from the people's taxes. The government and foreign contractors stole, through fraud and in complicity, €400 million from the people." He said those who were meant to take action did nothing. "The court declared that those who were meant to be there to ensure that such things do not to happen and do their job in the interest of the country, did not. The court said more, that they were more interested in defending the foreign contractors than looking out for the interests of the people. When you see this betrayal, the police commissioner had to take immediate action."

Full list of people cited in the PN judicial protest

• Robert Abela
• Joseph Muscat 
• Chris Fearne
• Konrad Mizzi 
• Clyde Caruana
• Edward Scicluna
• Chris Cardona
• Keith Schembri
• Vitals investors Ram Tumuluri, Armin Ernst, Mark Edward Pawley, Ashok Rattehalli, Aasia Parveen Shaukat, Asad Shaukat Ali, Shaukat Ali Chaudry, Mohammad Shoaib Walajahi
• Selection committee members James Camenzuli, Manuel Castagna and Robert Borg
• Consultant David Galea
• Malta Enterprise CEO Mario Galea
• Permanent secretary Ronald Mizzi
• Robert Vella
• Peter Mamo
• Bluestone Investments Malta Ltd
• Pivot Holdings Ltd
• Oxley Capital Group
• Malta Industrial Parks Limited, now INDIS Malta Ltd
• Projects Malta Limited, now Malta Strategic Partnership Projects Ltd
• Bluestone Special Situations 4 Limited
• AGMC Incorporated
• Portpool Investments Ltd
• Vitals Global Healthcare Limited, now Steward Malta
• Vitals Global Healthcare Management Limited, now Steward Malta Management Limited
• Vitals Global Healthcare Assets, now Steward Malta Assets Limited
• Beat Limited
• Accutor AG.