The Nationalist Party will give its full support to Prime Minister Robert Abela if and when the government files a court case to get the €400 million lost in the hospitals deal, PN Leader Bernard Grech said Monday.
But, so far, the government has taken no action in this regard and it has been up to the PN to take the necessary steps for the money to be recouped, he said.
Grech was addressing journalists outside the courts of law after a sitting in the hospitals case submitted by the Nationalist Party to recover what the PN says were €400 million given to private companies to run three public hospitals, a deal which has now been rescinded.
The 2015 deal saw three hospitals - St Luke’s, Karin Grech and the Gozo General hospitals - passed on to the private sector was annulled by a court in February, and confirmed on appeal in October, which described the deal as “fraudulent” and with elements of “collusion”.
Grech said that the government now wants to be part of the PN’s case against the State Advocate, however “today we (the PN) explained why the case need to be opened without the interference of the PL and the government”.
The Opposition’s argument is that the State Advocate has not only the power but also the duty to act.
Grech said that the PN has already provided the government with the best “weapon” it can give when it won the court case instituted by former Opposition Leader Adrian Delia.
Opposition Leader Bernard Grech and Nationalist MP Adrian Delia are arguing that the State Advocate, as “the last man standing in our constitutional system” is not only empowered but also duty-bound to take action against present and past government officials involved in the deal.
Grech said that he hopes that the “weapons” that the PN has equipped the government with are being used, since no information is being given on the current arbitration case happening at the international court of arbitration.
He said that the PN has already helped the government as it can use the judgment “given by the highest institutions of Malta”.