Appeals court confirms annulment of Steward hospitals deal

Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti, along with Justices Giannino Caruan Demajo and Anthony Ellul, affirmed the decision.

This means that the contract between the government and Steward Health Care to run three public hospitals in Malta and Gozo is now officially null and void.

In the original court decision delivered in February, the blame for the “fraudulent” deal was pinned on Steward.

However, the appeals court said it believed there was “collusion between Steward and senior government officials or its agencies”.

The court noted that the government had sought to defend Steward Health Care right until the company had filed its appeal.

It also ruled that government representatives named in the case must jointly pay for court expenses, along with Steward Healthcare.

Those parties include Joseph Muscat in his capacity as prime minister, the Attorney General, and the heads of INDIS and the Lands Authority.

Adrian Delia welcomes decision

PN MP Adrian Delia, who filed the case, welcomed the decision on the appeal and said he now expected political repercussions.

Delia called upon the government to take the necessary steps to retrieve the €400 million which were “essentially misappropriated”.

The Nationalist Party announced a protest which will be held in Sunday at 4pm in front of Castille in Valletta.