It’s a funny old world and, as the details about the Vitals/Steward masquerade continue to leak out, Joseph Muscat wants us to know it. Funny as in amusing, droll, entertaining and ironic. But also funny as in curious, poignant and passing strange.

So it was with a playful smile, aware of but unburdened by the way of the world, that Muscat faced journalists last week. They wanted to know if the cabinet had ever been informed about that little side agreement, signed by then minister Konrad Mizzi with Steward in the summer of 2019, that bound Malta to pay Steward €100 million and cover its debts, should the concession agreement ever be rescinded for whatever reason.

The former minister, Evarist Bartolo, has denied cabinet was informed. Edward Scicluna, the former finance minister, has gone further. In the case brought by Adrian Delia against the government and Steward, Scicluna testified to not knowing about it under oath.

There was mention of an agreement to pay €10 million, a tenth of that sum, Scicluna added, but he put a stop to it.

You’d think these ministers would have remembered. After all, in the court case, the former permanent secretary, Alfred Camilleri, testified that, in his 15 years at the finance ministry, he had never seen anything like such an agreement, with the government taking on such an onerous burden unconditionally.

But Muscat smiled gently at the journalists and assured them that everything was in the documents presented to cabinet. The auditor general could not determine this. Neither could a fact-check by this newspaper. But that’s just another of those poignant facts in a world where kings are surrounded by cabbages.

Except here’s where the amusing world becomes rum, piquant and curious. In 2021, when Muscat was testifying in the same case, even he could not remember the sum of €100 million.

Mr Justice Francesco Depasquale sums up Muscat’s testimony in his sentence. Under oath, Muscat said he was “surprised” that such a sum was being mentioned. He said he was not aware of any agreement to this effect.

He did also say that he was aware of an arrangement that the government would need to make good for any debts incurred by Vitals to invest in Malta. He wasn’t aware if the sum owed actually amounted to €100 million.

Yet, as the judge points out, the agreement was clear in stipulating a payment of €100 million apart from all debts.

In other words, testifying only two years ago, Muscat was unaware not only of the sum to be paid but also of the rationale of the agreement.

Muscat testified in January 2021, only a year after he had been in charge of the government that signed up to that agreement and only months after he had accompanied Steward for a meeting with Robert Abela.

Even so, Muscat forgot about €100 million by the time he stood up in court – despite the fact that the auditor general reports that the health ministry raised the €100 million penalty as a reason for being careful about how to deal with missed milestones.

Pay no heed to those who say that Invictus has become Infectus, Achilles an Achilles heel- Ranier Fsadni

If you think that’s curious, wait. It gets curiouser and curiouser. When, last week, Muscat patronised journalists and his former cabinet colleagues for not being aware of the €100 million, he was aware of his 2021 testimony.

He had read how the judge summed up his testimony. He told us so, in pointing out how the judge had mentioned him in his sentence. He couldn’t exactly miss how the judge summed up his testimony on the €100 million: the judge put it in bold to underline its importance.

Muscat did not correct the judge. He did not seek to correct his testimony. Instead, he corrected his cabinet colleagues, saying they should have been aware of a detail that he himself swore he was unaware of.

To the likes of you and me, all this might seem unbelievable. But let’s remember it’s a funny old world. People like Muscat operate at an entirely different level from the rest of us, in a world of wondrous coincidences and droll twists.

The auditor general, with his pettifoggery and narrow-minded attention to detail, might report that Vitals missed every milestone it was set. Muscat, with his vision, could testify that Vitals “did do work but it was not enough”.

In 2016, Vitals was selling its Malta record in Montenegro and Albania as a success, even though it was missing each milestone and wasn’t even capable of securing financing. But why should that have bothered Muscat?

According to the auditor general, his government by this time was ceding any

control over its ability to enforce fulfilment of the contractual conditions.

In 2020, Abela could declare that Mizzi had been sacked from cabinet because of his role in the Vitals concession. The mess was apparent to the government long before then, certainly by 2017, as the auditor general makes clear.

But, as late as 2019, Muscat continued to trust Mizzi to negotiate the same contract with Steward. He continued to reward Mizzi after his resignation in disgrace from cabinet. And, in 2023, Muscat still refuses to say Mizzi did anything wrong.

Let’s keep all that in mind when, in 2023, Steward declares that Muscat “misled” it. Up till 2020, Steward still found Muscat trustworthy enough to assist it in an appointment with Abela.

Pay no heed to those who say that Invictus has become Infectus, Achilles an Achilles heel. Ignore those who say that no one lies or forgets unless the truth was felt to be dangerous.

It is nothing as sinister as that. It’s just a funny old world.