August 24, AD410. The Visigoths rampaged and pillaged Imperial Rome. March 2016, Malta was ransacked.
Vitals had concluded a 30-year lease agreement with the Labour government to operate the Gozo, St Luke’s and Karin Grech hospitals. The company had to transform the hospitals into state-of-the art facilities and attract medical tourism.
Twenty-one months later, Vitals sold its concession to Steward Health Care.
In return, they blatantly failed to honour any contractual milestones, except upgrading a toilet in Gozo’s security guard office.
All this cost the Maltese taxpayer, you and I, €390 million, not to mention the tax and social security arrears, approximately another €15 million, and an undisclosed sum as the government’s guarantee on their loan with BOV.
This was not solely an issue of failing to honour contractual obligations or of civil fraud but about a well-planned fraud with political connotations, ramifications and possible criminal collusion.
A number of former and current Labour ministers, led by the disgraced former prime minister and a number of government-hand-picked officials, enabled and abetted this monumental theft.
To add insult to injury, during these last three years, the current prime minister (former legal adviser to Joseph Muscat) and his cabinet not only openly supported what Minister Chris Fearne coined “the real deal” but fended off any criticism and stubbornly continued approving further financial assistance.
The court was clear. This fraudulent behaviour persisted not only prior to but also throughout the concession. The judge declared that “no person having the country’s good at heart would ever enter such a deal”.
Moreover, he stated that “no one else but the prime minister was to represent the republic; he was the one who had the obligation to seek rescission of the contract when it was evident that Vitals was not fulfilling its obligations”.
Outrageous. The politicians appointed to protect the republic ended up being the enablers of this monumental robbery.
They dishonoured us.
Honest Malta ought to give credit to Daphne Caruana Galizia, who fearlessly first uncovered this sleaze, and to Simon Busutill, to the UĦM and to the doctors’ association, MAM, for requesting the rescission of the concession. Last but not least, credit must be paid to the tenacity of Adrian Delia who personally took Steward Health Care to court.
Beyond this monumental fraud, is the Labour Party pillaging Malta? Is the Labour Party being looted in the first place? Are particular protagonists within Labour our local Visigoths, prowling honest Malta to enrich themselves and their support system instead?
The latest rip-off is the cherry on the cake, up to now. Surely, this is not an isolated case.
Who will pay for such sleaze and plunder?- Albert Buttigieg
Unfortunately, under this government, corruption has been institutionalised. Such systematic plunder reveals the modus operandi of this government in which Labour exponents have a frenzy to be corrupt, plunder and make hay while the sun shines.
From Café Premier to the Electrogas power station, from Panama Papers revelations to the 17 Black debacle, from the wind farms in Montenegro to Marsa’s shady flyover contract, this government is corrupt to the bone.
From the everlasting list of lucrative direct orders to the contentious building permits granted to fat cats, the fictitious jobs and abusive positions of trust to party lackeys, Labour’s road map has been tainted all along with continuous episodes of sleaze.
Although I have no qualms acknowledging that the Labour government introduced a number of good initiatives, sadly, its hallmark is that of Visigoths on the rampage.
The Labour Party has become a smokescreen for local Visigoths, licensed to plunder and enrich themselves.
To many honest Labour supporters, my sincere appeal is to stand up and be counted. Silence is complicity. Having a historical majority does not exonerate one from being a crook.
Are these supporters not aware of the law of physics, that what goes up must come down? When that happens, who will pick up the pieces? Who will pay for such sleaze and plunder?
Are they pleased that Labour has ceased being a voice of the left and is instead serving as a sleek den to a number of barbarians, thieves, fats cats and fraudsters seeking only their self-advancement?
I have no problem that Labour is in government. This is democracy. My only concern is about having Visigoths running our country.
The time to act is now. For the love of our country, pick up the courage to dishonour and flush them out.
Stop Labour’s Visigoths.
Albert Buttigieg is a Nationalist MP and spokesperson for a better standard of living.