The Commissioner for Standards in Public Life has dismissed a request by former election candidate Arnold Cassola for an investigation into the refusal by the CEO of Malta Enterprise and the chairman of the State Aid Monitoring Board to supply information requested by the Auditor-General in the investigation into the government's hospitals concession to Vitals/Steward.

"Instead of doing their duty and making available any information that could shed light on this colossal fraud, these two gentlemen acted with the sort of secrecy that characterised a mafia mentality that would have infiltrated the state," Cassola had complained.

He added that the two had displayed arrogance and impunity and gone against the interests of the people when they ignored the requests of the Auditor-General.

He requested an investigation on the basis that the two were politically exposed persons (PEPs).

But the commissioner said that an investigation could not be carried as Kurt Farrugia, CEO of Malta Enterprise, and Paul Zahra, permanent secretary at the Finance Ministry and chairman of the State Monitoring Board are not members of Parliament or persons of trust as defined by the law on standards in public life.

Cassola's complaint, therefore, could not be considered.  

In a reaction, Cassola said the Commissioner for Standards was doing his job and duty of applying the Standards Commissioner law as concocted by the PL and PN in parliament.

"It would seem that according to this law the occupiers of these two high and sensitive posts are not included amongst those posts defined as  Politically Exposed. In view of this, these two, who tried to sabotage the Vitals Inquiry by refusing to answer any of the queries posed by the NAO Auditor Charles Deguara, will get away scot free. Withholding information and covering up for political crooks, like Joseph Muscat, Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi, has become the order of the day... and you can even get away with it, without even a slap on the wrist".