All upcoming payments to Steward Healthcare as part of its contract should be deposited in court until the termination of the deal, ADPD said on Saturday.

Employees and suppliers delivering healthcare services at St Luke's, Karin Grech and Gozo General hospitals should be paid from such funds as directed by the courts, the Green Party told a news conference in Valletta.

The party was reacting after a court annulled the "fraudulent" deal that the government had signed with Vitals before it was transferred to Steward. 

“Had the government been serious it should not have waited for the court judgment to act, but it should have acted earlier,” ADPD general secretary Ralph Cassar said.

While the court decision is welcome, Cassar said this was just a first step that could potentially trigger further legal action.

ADPD chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said it is important for the government to ensure that taxpayer money is safeguarded in the best way possible while allowing the legal process to take its course. 

Insisting that the Vitals/Steward deal should never happen again, Cacopardo said should the contract annulment be confirmed in court, the process of recovering the money already paid to the operators would need to start immediately.