Former PM requests questioning by Police Commissioner on Vitals scandal
Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has reached out to Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa, requesting to be summoned for questioning regarding the hospitals’ investigation. Muscat expressed his willingness to address all inquiries related to the investigation in a Facebook post on Friday, amidst increasing tension surrounding the hospitals’ controversy. “I have nothing to hide, and have no qualms with being transparent… I wrote to the police commissioner and told him to call me in as soon as possible and as soon as he has the conclusions of the Attorney General on the hospitals’ inquiry, [so I can] answer any question he may have and show the facts,” he wrote on Facebook. (The Malta Independent)
Mater Dei CEO resigns
Celia Falzon, the CEO of Mater Dei Hospital, has resigned from her position due to personal reasons. According to media report, engineer Keith Attard will assume her responsibilities, with a transition process scheduled for this week. The specific personal reasons prompting Falzon’s resignation remain undisclosed. Falzon took on the role of CEO in February 2020, shortly before the onset of COVID-19 in Malta, succeeding Ivan Falzon, who now leads Infrastructure Malta. During her tenure, she navigated Mater Dei Hospital through the challenges of the pandemic, a period marked by intense scrutiny and concerns about the healthcare system’s capacity to withstand unprecedented pressures and resource demands. (Times of Malta)
PM says he will not expect resignations on basis of inquiry recommendations
Prime Minister Robert Abela has declared that he will not base his assessment of the hospitals’ privatisation magisterial inquiry findings on whether to endorse its conclusions, including the potential resignation of former health minister Chris Fearne. According to reports, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne informed the Labour parliamentary group that he would step down if implicated in the hospitals’ inquiry. When questioned outside the courts on Friday, Abela avoided directly addressing whether he was placing himself above the inquiry. Instead, he discussed a scenario where he might not accept Fearne’s resignation even if the inquiry recommended his indictment. Abela questioned the political impartiality of magistrates, stating that even a recommendation for charges wouldn’t meet the criteria for Fearne’s possible resignation. (Maltatoday)
