Opposition leader Bernard Grech on Tuesday called on police commissioner Angelo Gafà to investigate and prosecute Prime Minister Robert Abela in connection with the Vitals/Steward hospitals deal.

In a brief statement, Grech said that Gafà had the duty to serve the people as commissioner, not to serve those who had placed him in his role.

The call comes a day after the Nationalist Party filed a police report demanding an investigation into a list of 37 people directly or indirectly involved in the annulled hospital privatisation deal.

Among the people the PN listed were Prime Minister Robert Abela and his predecessor Joseph Muscat.

In a reply, the Labour Party described Grech’s call as “a request from a petty politician” who sought to use institutions for partisan "games".  Grech’s call, the PL continued, confirmed how cheap he was, contrary to the Prime Minister who always sought to protect the national interest. 

The court decision to annul the hospitals deal led to the concessionaire, Steward Global Healthcare, announcing that it would be pulling out of Malta and seeking recourse from the European Court of Justice. The company has also filed an appeal against the ruling. 

The government subsequently announced that it would be taking over the hospitals - Karin Grech, St Luke's and Gozo General - with immediate effect. 

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