The attorney general’s office on Wednesday failed to present an evaluation report concerning a hospitals privatisation deal to a court, despite being ordered to do so two days ago. 

Instead, a lawyer representing the office said that neither the attorney general nor prime minister had the report. Such documents were held by Projects Malta, the court was told. 

The evaluation report was cited by Konrad Mizzi when he was testifying last month. The former minister argued in court that he had relied on the recommendation of the evaluation report when deciding to grant a controversial privatisation deal for three state hospitals to Vitals Global Healthcare.

Opposition leader Adrian Delia, who filed the civil court case in which Dr Mizzi was testifying, subsequently demanded a copy of that report. On Monday a court upheld that request and ordered the attorney general’s office to file a copy of it in court. 

“It would be opportune that this evaluation report, together with other, connected, reports be exhibited in these proceedings so that the truth of the facts stated by him [Mizzi] might be verified and corroborated,” the court had noted. 

Yet when that hearing came up on Wednesday, Mr Justice Francesco Depasquale 
was informed, by lawyer Chris Falzon Scerri from the office of the Attorney General, that neither of the respondents, namely the Prime Minister and the Attorney General, had that report or other reports referred to by Dr Mizzi in his testimony.

The court has now ordered the respondents to produce a representative of Projects Malta as a witness, so as to present a copy of the evaluation report as well as other reports connected to it during the next sitting, scheduled for January 27.

Lawyer Jason Azzopardi is assisting Dr Delia.