Edward Scicluna wanted to stop further payments to Steward unless Cabinet approves, Court told
Cabinet Secretary Ryan Spagnol has confirmed a decision made on October 1, 2019, stating that then-Finance Minister Edward Scicluna had clarified that no additional payments should be made to Steward Healthcare without explicit Cabinet approval. The email concerns requests made by then-Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, who is currently charged with corruption in the ongoing hospitals’ PPP scandal, for an additional €10 million payment to the American healthcare company Steward. Mizzi had authored a memorandum to the Cabinet requesting the additional funds for Steward, which claimed the multi-million concession to run three state hospitals—St. Luke’s, Karin Grech, and the Gozo General hospitals—was not ‘bankable’. (Times of Malta)
Bernard Grech says only PN government can recover Vitals monies
Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech stated on Thursday that only a Nationalist government could recover the €400 million given to Vitals Global Healthcare and Steward Health Care. This statement followed a court ruling that it could not compel the State Advocate to initiate such a case. Judge Toni Abela ruled on Thursday morning that ordering the State Advocate to open a case to recoup the funds paid to the hospital concessionaires would be unconstitutional. Speaking to the media outside the law courts, Grech cited previous court judgments that, according to him, confirmed the involvement of the government’s highest officials in colluding with those who defrauded and robbed the Maltese people. (Maltatoday)
Independent gets mayor role in Floriana
The Nationalist Party has announced an agreement to resolve the political deadlock in Floriana, with independent candidate Nigel Holland set to resume his role as mayor. This announcement follows weeks of stalemate after recent local elections, where no party achieved an outright majority. The Labour Party initially claimed the mayoralty, having secured 43.64% of the vote, while the PN and Holland held the balance of power. According to a PN statement, the agreement designates Holland as mayor and James Aaron Ellul of the PN as deputy mayor for the next five years. This arrangement mirrors a similar situation in 2012 when Holland became mayor with PN support during a previous deadlock. (Newsbook)
