The revelations of the past few days on the hospitals concession showed how the social conscience which the Labour government was supposed to have had instead been replaced by a criminal conscience, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said on Wednesday.

Speaking in parliament he said that the revelations in the Times of Malta on Wednesday on how the people entrusted with the running of three hospitals splurged on luxury cars and five-star hotels showed how the people's money was used for a select view to enjoy a life of luxury. 

Over the years, whenever the PN came up with proposals, Labour inevitably asked for costings, he recalled. Yet those making the accusations were very good at making their own costings and how much they would secretly receive, with Joseph Muscat himself receiving almost half million euro off the back of Malta's patients thanks to arrangement made within a week of his leaving office.

In 2013, Labour had promised Malta Taghna Lkoll and upon their election, those running the country started opening secret accounts to hold the funds they stole off the people.

What had taken place in the hospitals concession scandal was now well known, Grech said, and everybody realised that there had been fraud and corruption. Everybody knew that the prime minister had lied about it in parliament after defending the deal in court and in the House. Everybody also knew that Abela was stopping the institutions, the Police Commissioner and the Attorney General from doing their duties. 

Referring to former Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar, Grech said the biggest truth she had ever said was that everybody in government was making a pig of himself.

This had been proven and it had been shown that  Joseph Muscat was not only part of the hospitals concession fraud, but had continued to make a pig of himself even after leaving his office. It was no wonder, therefore, that he had wanted Robert Abela to succeed him and to ensure 'continuity', a guarantee to ensure he could continue to go on with his corrupt and fraudulent arrangements with Abela as his puppet.

But Robert Abela was not a victim. He had admitted during Labour's election campaign that his role up to 2020 was that of prime minister's consultant, supervising all ministries. He therefore knew what had been happening. It explained the way he had defended the hospitals deal in parliament and the courts.

And the former consultant-turned prime minister, within days of taking over, received Joseph Muscat, the former prime minister-turned Steward consultant, who demanded more million for the company, and this was agreed.

Abela, therefore could not now claim he was not involved in this mess. Neither could any of Labour's MPs shirk their responsibility because they too had supported the concession and voted millions to it despite being repeatedly warned about the goings on. 

Grech said he, however, wanted to address himself to Labourites, including one who had spoken to a colleague of his just that evening at the PN protest (over the hospitals deal), where he said he had never expected to be deceived and betrayed in this manner. 

These people deserve a party and government that respected them, Grech said. They deserved a prime minister who worked for the country, not for himself and those around him   

Joseph Muscat, Konrad Mizzi, Chris Fearne and all those responsible for the corrupt hospitals contract annulled by the courts, as well as all the Labour MPs who supported them had lost their credibility and they were not believed any more. All should be ashamed.

The so-called 'real deal' was a real deal for corrupt criminals who robbed those waiting for an operation, for hospital treatment or for medicines.

"The truth shames you all" Grech concluded.

 'We want our money back' - Delia

Earlier, Nationalist MP Adrian Delia said the people would take to the streets to demand their tax money back after the fraud of the hospitals concession contract because the authorities were not acting on their behalf, Adrian Delia insisted in parliament on Wednesday..

In a forceful speech the Nationalist MP referred to the court sentence which annulled the concession after finding fraud, the auditor’s report which confirmed abuses in all stages of the concession, and also Wednesday’s revelations by Times of Malta over how, he said, taxpayers’ money handed to Vitals/Steward ended up in Joseph Muscat’s pocket, and people entrusted with running the hospitals splurged taxpayer money on luxury cars and five-star hotels.

Just a week after resigning as prime minister, and while he was still a Labour MP, Joseph Muscat reached a deal with a Vitals-owned company, Accutor, that would pay him 15,000 a month, every month, Delia observed.

People who had set up secret companies a week from the 2013 general elections did another deceitful arrangement a week after leaving office. And the people continued to be robbed, he said.

And while the Steward, and formerly Vitals Global Healthcare (VGH) shareholders continued to splurge money on luxuries, the Maltese government claimed it had no cash for the doctors, the nurses and so many other workers.

St Luke’s Hospital, which was meant to be rehabilitated, fell into dilapidation and no new hospital was built in Gozo, despite the concession conditions.

Indian contractors engaged by Steward were replaced by Sicilian ones and, wonder of wonders, while they were paid for their work, they also funnelled money to a Swiss company, Accutor which had changed its name from VGH Europe and was the same company contracted with Joseph Muscat. Why would a contractor pay back money given to it for its work?

Delia hit out at Prime Minister Robert Abela for attempting to distance himself from the abuses and trying to give the impression he did not know about them.  Abela was also the prime minister who had continued to defend the concession fraudsters in court.

It was an absolute shame that these people had no empathy for the sick and the most vulnerable.

Delia also hit out at Health Minister Chris Fearne, the attorney general and the police commissioner, among others. At some time or another, they were told what was happening, but they had not done anything, he said.

Concluding, Delia asked what would happen now. The government had defended the fraudsters in court for years then lost the case and did not appeal, meaning an acceptance of the judgment. But it had not sued to recover the €400million plus.

Political responsibility had not been borne by those responsible for this biggest fraud in Malta’s history. And the police commissioner had not acted despite being challenged to investigate a list of people found guilty by the court.

Therefore the time had come for the people to take to the streets to insist that they wanted their money back. Malta needed to be handed its money back, Delia concluded. 

Justice Minister Jonathan Attard insisted that Robert Abela had not signed any contract and anybody who said otherwise was lying. 

The government, he said, had been elected on a strong mandate to take the country forward and provide solutions, and it would do so. 

The audit report showed how the government had had a consistent approach, insisting that Steward needed to observe contract conditions. He said he would not go into details.

Interrupting, Adrian Delia asked the minister to explain the milliosn handed to the company over and above the contract. 

Amid interruptions and disorder, the sitting was briefly suspended.

When it resumed, Attard said that Delia could perhaps speak about his involvement in (Mater Dei Hospital contractor) Skanska.

Delia said that if the justice minister wants to trade allegations he should make his allegation clear if he had committed any shortcoming.

Amid further interruptions, Attard said Delia spoke on the national interest when it suited him.