The Nationalist Party said it is now "abundantly clear" that decision by the International Chamber of Commerce on the three hospitals deal confirms what had already been established by two Maltese Court rulings and three reports by the National Audit Office - namely, that there was collusion and a total failure against the Maltese people.

The decision also reveals that the Government's claim that it was the one to initiate the arbitration is false. As clearly stated in the official conclusions, it was Steward who took the Maltese Government to arbitration, not the other way round, the PN said.

Equally significant is the Tribunal's unequivocal conclusion, which states:

"Sadly, the concession for these hospitals turned out to be a failure and gave rise to different proceedings, including before the Courts of Malta. The primary victims of this failure are the citizens of Malta who were anxious of receiving through a public-private partnership improved health-care services in an improved hospital environment in their beautiful country."

This is not the opinion of the PN; it is the statement of the international arbitrators themselves - who, in crystal-clear terms, have declared that the Maltese people were the victims of a failure that should never have happened, the PN said.

As a result of what the Maltese Courts have already determined to be collusion, the Maltese people were left empty-handed when it came to the hospitals - hospitals that were supposed to be projects of service and hope.

This decision further confirms that these contracts were crafted against the public interest and should never have been signed. Once again, we are seeing that not only was nothing built or improved, but millions of euro belonging to citizens were wasted in vain, the PN said.