Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia is calling on government MPs to back an Opposition motion to rescind the controversial hospitals' concession agreement.
He is also insisting for the publication of the unredacted version of the contract together with any other side agreements that might exist.
The appeal was made during a news conference at the party headquarters ahead of the parliamentary debate on this motion, scheduled for Thursday.
Under this controversial 30-year deal signed in 2016, the government transferred St Luke’s, Karin Grech and Gozo hospitals to Vitals Global Healthcare, whose ultimate beneficial owners were unknown and had no experience in the health sector. Vitals subsequently transferred the concession to US group Steward Health Care in 2018.
Though the concessionaire was bound to increase the number of beds by 900 and to modernise facilities, this investment has not materialised.
The motion makes reference to a “restatement agreement” signed in August last year, which only came to light following a story in MaltaToday last month.
“Come what may, taxpayers will have to pay €100 million to rescind the agreement as a result of this side agreement,” Delia said.
He added that, so far, €260 million had been paid to Vitals and Steward who both failed in their contractual obligations
“We cannot keep forking out €80 million to €90 million a year for the next 20 years and get nothing in return,” the Opposition leader said.
Delia also lashed out at former minister Konrad Mizzi, who signed the €100 million penalty clause, saying this was tantamount to a crime against the national interest.
He added that this was done with the blessing of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, and with the complicity of Finance Minister Edward Scicluna, who consented to it.
Asked if the motion was premature due to the possibility of incurring a €100 million fin, and the pending court cases instituted by Delia himself to revoke the deal, the Opposition leader disagreed.
“Government has already shot itself in the foot through the signing of the original contract, the vitiated adjudication process, the choice of bidder and the signing of the restatement agreement last August,” he insisted.
“The question of whether supporting this motion would be tantamount to shooting ourselves in the foot should be addressed to the government,” he added.
Thursday is an opportunity for MPs to walk the talk on national interest- Claudio Grech
The news conference was also addressed by shadow health minister Stephen Spiteri, who noted that even the doctors’ union (MAM) had described this agreement as a “financial flop”.
Economy shadow minister Claudio Grech criticised the manner in which the government had kept this agreement under wraps.
“We are in a surreal situation whereby we will be discussing a deal the details of which are not public,” he said.
So far, only a redacted version of the contract was published in October 2016, with the government justifying its decision to keep parts of it blacked out on grounds of commercial sensitivity.
“Thursday is an opportunity for MPs to walk the talk on national interest,” Grech said.