Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that he intended to hold a press conference after today’s sitting which saw him being charged with criminal offences related to the conclusion of the magisterial inquiry into the hospitals deal, but a ruling by the court prohibited from doing so.

Speaking briefly to journalists at the end of a nine-hour sitting, Muscat said that the Attorney General had asked for all accused to be banned from speaking publicly about the case.

He said he respects that decision and will not comment about the case. “So please do not ask questions as by answering them I would be going against the magistrate’s ruling,” he said.

As he was walking away, a journalist asked him whether he felt he had betrayed all those who voted for him. While Muscat looked sharply back at him, his wife look straight at the journalists and replied “I don’t think so”.