Honour thy Konrad Mizzi

Two years ago, when Mr Justice Francesco Depasquale issued his judgment on the Vitals and Steward hospitals deal, Labour helpfully clarified what he really meant: although the judge denounced collusion, waste of resources and fraud, he did not utter a word about corruption.

Today, Robert Abela deploys similar rigour, noting that the International Chamber of Commerce says nothing about fraud in its decision on the dispute between Steward and Malta.

The logic is impeccable. If a tribunal isn’t asked to rule on X, and, therefore, doesn’t rule on X, this surely constitutes definitive proof that X doesn’t exist. 

We too must be logical. We must draw the necessary conclusions: many people in public life owe us apologies.

Seven years ago, we were told the truth about the splendour of the deal with Steward Health Care. Upon signing it, then minister Konrad Mizzi tweeted: “We look forward to shaping a best in class patient-centric model for health public private partnerships.”

Joseph Muscat, then prime minister, proclaimed: “Our resolve to upgrade Malta and Gozo’s healthcare services to world-class levels has been given a further boost through this partnership.”

Despite this excellence, many subsequently cast grave doubt on it with their behaviour. They scrambled to distance themselves when the court judgment emerged. We’re accustomed to victory having many fathers while defeat becomes an orphan. Only in Malta would such a magnificent national achievement be abandoned. A future budget should perhaps offer tax breaks for responsible political fatherhood.

Giving thanks for the Steward deal must begin with settling accounts.

All who distanced themselves must apologise.

First, the prime minister should demand that Chris Fearne, as condition for any cabinet return, apologise for strenuously insisting he was kept in the dark about the deal and contract. That hinted that something shadowy lurked in the agreement and Mizzi’s role. Fearne even suggested Steward failed to fulfil contractual obligations. The impertinence.

Next: Edward Scicluna, now central bank governor, then finance minister. He claimed ignorance of everything – the original Vitals agreement and its financial implications and even the arrangements Mizzi reached with Steward over a trifling, unconditional €100 million should they depart Malta. 

Indeed, Muscat’s entire cabinet denied knowing anything. They endorsed Scicluna’s poisonous insinuation about a kitchen cabinet making all decisions. They misled us into believing that the government’s left (socialist) hand knew not what the right (deal-making) hand was doing.

Even Muscat, though he stood by Mizzi through thick and thin, must apologise. His nerve failed him on the witness stand in 2021 when he told Mr Justice Depasquale he had no recollection of the €100 million.

A minor blemish on Muscat’s remarkable record, admittedly, but moral diligence demands acknowledgement. 

The same applies to Keith Schembri. Though everyone credited him with an important role, he denied it, noting the court judgment didn’t mention him. We need to know he’s sorry for being faint-hearted instead of owning something to be proud of. Our youth needs a role model.

Giving thanks for the Steward deal must begin with settling accounts- Ranier Fsadni

Apologies shouldn’t be restricted to politicians. The auditor general spoke of “mismanagement of state resources and, ultimately, an unnecessary additional financial burden imposed on the government – albeit by itself...” How dare he? 

At most, he should have criticised the government for false modesty in withholding documents demonstrating the deal’s excellence: the misplaced memorandum of understanding, the negative due diligence report on Vitals, the absence of written records by the negotiating committee. 

The judge, too, requires gentle correction, particularly for his scepticism toward Muscat’s testimony. We must respect judicial independence, naturally. A simple apology for political terrorism should suffice.

We shouldn’t speak ill of the dead but, as a nation committed to good governance, we must demand accountability from the late cardiologist Prof. Albert Fenech. While government insisted money given to Steward went to salaries, Fenech suggested waste. He described how Steward abandoned extensive work he’d done for Vitals, for which he and others were paid and supplies purchased. 

Fenech, despite being a specialist with international experience, refused to recognise leadership and vision. By late 2021, Fenech spoke of being “bamboozled”, noting that “whenever the name Konrad Mizzi comes up, you smell a rat”.

For this slander, Fenech must apologise. If a successful séance cannot be arranged, his heirs should be sued to their gills until they retract on his behalf. Muscat’s principled handling of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s heirs provides sound legal precedent. Alternatively, an anti-Fenech website can be set up by an impartial public servant employed for this purpose.

Even Steward deserves reproach. While protesting its own innocence, it disparaged Vitals’s good name. Steward’s Malta president, Nadine Delicata, wrote that the authorities were grossly negligent in monitoring Vitals, which kept no management accounts while siphoning money and leaving none for staff salaries. This disloyalty to a predecessor in excellence is unseemly.

The sole hero remains Mizzi, who always defended the hospitals deal: its rectitude, good sense and patriotism. It is time to honour him. Surely, we are not too late for this year’s Republic Day honours.

Mizzi is much misunderstood. It’s true he avoided meeting the auditor general and, thus, missed a valuable opportunity to set straight that confused man. He also opted not to testify in court, while malignant activists mocked him for evading accountability. Lies, all lies.

He was simply hiding his light under a bushel. Then he hid the bushel – in a distant land. So what if it was in Panama?