Prime Minister Robert Abela returned to the “let the institutions work” mantra on Monday when asked whether he was concerned by the details that emerged from the magisterial inquiry into the hospitals concession.

He echoed a call by President Myriam Spiteri Debono on Saturday to allow the courts to decide the case with serenity.

“Now is the time to let the judges evaluate the evidence. These halls behind me rely on evidence and this is what they will be examining…the magisterial inquiry is not evidence but just a collection of facts…now the court will have to decide whether there is enough to convict anyone of a crime. This is the exercise that will start from tomorrow,” Abela said while speaking to journalists outside the law courts.

In a clear reference to Steward Healthcare, Abela said he had taken political decisions back in 2020 without commenting on the guilt or otherwise of persons, which was a responsibility entrusted to the courts. “It is not up to me to declare whether anyone is innocent or guilty,” he said.

Last Saturday, President Spiteri Debono called for “normality” to prevail in the coming days and insisted that nobody should provoke or fall for provocation, amid heightened political tensions ahead of the arraignment of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Tuesday. 

Although she did not mention it directly, the president was ostensibly referring to a show of support planned outside the courts during the arraignment.

Prime Minister Robert Abela has warned PL supporters not to fall for a "trap" or be provoked though he did not specify what he was referring to. A Strong police presence is expected for tomorrow's protest.

“Every citizen is free to act within the parameters of the rights given to him by the constitution. However, common sense and prudence dictate that in order not to fall for provocation, you should not seek provocation or, worse still, make or render yourself its agent,” Spiteri Debono said in her statement.