Joseph Muscat, Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri are the prime targets for criminal prosecution in connection with the deal to privatise three state hospitals.
The trio, who played major roles in the process that led to Vitals Global Healthcare and then Steward Health Care getting the multi-million contract, are among dozens of individuals and companies that prosecutors believe may have breached laws related to money laundering and the proceeds of crime.
A magisterial inquiry into the deal was concluded last week and is now at the attorney general's office, a court heard on Tuesday.
Muscat said on Tuesday that he has "no doubt" he will end up facing criminal charges in the case. Times of Malta was unable to contact Mizzi and Schembri for comment.
Criminal lawyers told Times of Malta that most money laundering cases begin with prosecutors filing court requests to freeze the assets of people suspected of involvement in crime.
They noted, however, that asset freezes are broader than criminal prosecutions – meaning not everyone who is cited in an asset freezing order ends up being charged with a crime.
A court heard on Tuesday that a copy of the concluded inquiry, along with 78 boxes of evidence, was sent to Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg last Friday.
Buttigieg and her team of prosecutors must now assess that evidence and decide whether to file criminal charges against anyone mentioned in the inquiry report.
The inquiry was led by Magistrate Gabriella Vella. A court was told on Tuesday that it involved 78 boxes of evidence with police inspector Wayne Borg as the lead investigator.
Muscat, his successor as prime minister Robert Abela and Labour-owned media have piled pressure on the magistrate in recent days. Muscat has accused the magistrate of leading a politically motivated “vendetta” against him, while Abela has said the inquiry was timed to damage Labour’s electoral prospects.
The magisterial inquiry kicked off in late 2019 following a criminal complaint filed by NGO Repubblika. It initially sought to investigate the roles then-ministers Konrad Mizzi, Chris Cardona and Edward Scicluna played in the deal to hand three state hospitals to Vitals Global Healthcare, a company with no business track record.
The probe was eventually broadened to include Joseph Muscat, who led the government at the time as prime minister.
In 2023 a court struck down the hospitals deal, saying Vitals – and its successor Steward Health Care – did not fulfil their contractual obligations, that the deal was tainted by fraud and that top officials involved in the deal had colluded against the national interest.
Documents filed by Steward as part of that court case revealed the key roles played by Mizzi and Schembri, who served as Muscat’s chief of staff, in the deal.