The Labour Party's parliamentary group has reiterated its full confidence in Labour's deputy leader and PL MP Chris Fearne.

The party issued a statement saying that following the Labour Party Parliamentary Group meeting held on Thursday, and in the context of the "very serious stories published in recent days regarding a campaign of fabricated stories and malicious strategies," the Parliamentary Group expressed its full solidarity with Fearne.

"The Parliamentary Group has never had the slightest doubt about the Fearne's integrity and seriousness, who has always acted in the best interest of the Maltese and Gozitan people even in the most challenging circumstances," he said.

It unreservedly condemned the attack against him, and stressed that the next step is to ensure full justice for Fearne, through the necessary investigations so that those responsible for these false stories are held accountable as soon as possible.

"Above all, justice should also be done for the Maltese people so that if, as alleged, this campaign was funded by funds allocated for the hospital concession, these are recovered by the government, in addition to the claims already pending against Steward Health Care," the statement read.

Last Monday, Time of Malta reported that Steward funded a campaign to smear the ex-health minister with "fake" corruption claims.

PN statement

In response, the PN said that if the Labour Parliamentary Group truly believes, as it has stated, "that the government should recover the money that Steward stole from the Maltese and Gozitan people through fraud, then it must ensure that Robert Abela and his Cabinet drop their opposition to the Nationalist Party's case so that the State Advocate can pursue those responsible. This way, the Maltese and Gozitan people can recover the €400 million that Steward stole from them with the complicity of high-ranking government officials."

"The Labour Parliamentary Group will only be credible if it ensures that the government, led by Robert Abela, joins the Nationalist Party to recover the people's money," the PN said.