The PN slammed the government for failing to get back funds from Steward Health Care in the international tribunal case, saying that it failed to defend the interests of the Maltese people.

In a statement, the PN said that it welcomed the decision of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) which confirmed that the contract with Steward Healthcare should have been terminated, saying that this ruling once again confirms what the PN has been saying from the very start, "that the hospitals' deal was fraudulent."

The international tribunal recognised that the decisions of the Maltese Courts were just, and it confirmed the ruling in the case filed by former Opposition and PN Leader Adrian Delia - a judgment which annulled all the contracts with Vitals and Steward, and returned the three hospitals to the Maltese people, the PN said.

"Yet despite all this, the Government failed to defend the interests of the Maltese and Gozitan people and did not recover the money that was spent on this fraudulent deal. Furthermore, while it neither built nor renovated a single one of the three hospitals, the Government failed to recover a single euro for Malta - even after boasting that it would do so through this arbitration process. Instead, Malta will now have to pay around €5 million more to Steward Healthcare."

"The fact that the Prime Minister and the Minister for Finance failed to recover even a cent shows they have failed. This means that: The Maltese people were robbed under a Labour Government; We had to turn to the Maltese Courts to get the hospitals back; and When the time came to present our case internationally, the Government failed and left the people without remedy."

The PN insists that the Maltese people have the right to get their money back - not just empty hospitals with no investment.

"The fact that the Labour Government kept defending this deal until the very end and did everything possible to cover up for Steward and its contract, shows why it lacked the political and moral courage to pursue a strong case against those who exploited the people."

"Only a new Government led by the PN can ensure full justice is delivered over the Vitals and Steward agreement: By recovering the people's money; By holding accountable those who signed and defended this contract; and By building a healthcare system that puts the patient - not private interest - first," the party said.

"The Vitals and Steward case was the biggest corruption scandal in Malta's history, and today we have yet another confirmation from an international tribunal that the Maltese people were right. Meanwhile, we still have no new general hospital in Gozo, St Luke's remains abandoned, and Karin Grech Hospital has yet to be restored."

The PN said that it will continue to work so that Malta ceases to be a country where corruption goes unpunished. "A country that delivers justice, transparency, and respect for its people."