Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne said on Wednesday that he had not yet been formally notified of any court charges against him, and insisted that he never broke any law.

The minister was reacting to remarks by Opposition leader Bernard Grech calling on him and others holding public office and facing charges in the Vitals hospitals scandal to resign.

Fearne, who was parliamentary secretary of health when the Vitals deal was inked in 2015, is to be accused of fraud, misappropriation and fraudulent gain.

He said he had not seen the inquiry report into the case and could not comment other than to say that he had always done his duty with the utmost integrity and had certainly never broken the law.

That, he said, was also borne out by three Auditor-General reports which showed how he was ‘sidelined' from all significant involvement in the granting of the hospitals concession.

Fearne also issued another Facebook statement four days ago, shortly before the charges were filed, saying he looked forward to the court proceedings to prove his integrity.

The former health minister said he always acted in the interests of the patients and the country and he never broke the law or the ministerial code of conduct.

“I have absolutely no doubt that the court will establish nothing other than my complete innocence" he said, adding that he wanted to make it clear that he was only speaking about himself, and no one else.

"As a minister and a citizen of a democratic European country, I strongly believe in the fair justice that is done and seen to be done,” he said.

Prime Minister Robert Abela stood by Fearne on Monday, praising his integrity at a press conference.