The magisterial inquiry into the government’s deal with Vitals Global Healthcare has stalled because the three ministers in question had filed an appeal opposing the inquiry.
“Until that appeal is over, we cannot move ahead,” Mr Justice Giovanni Grixti said.
The request for an inquiry had been made by civil society group Repubblika, which asked to establish whether there was criminal complicity by Finance Minister Edward Scicluna, Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, Economy Minister Chris Cardona and Ivan Vassallo, owner of the medical supplies firm in the transfer of the three hospitals to the private group.
According to a share purchase agreement, the owners of Vitals – Ram Tumuluri and Shaukat Ali Abdul Ghafoor – funded the takeover of medical equipment company Technoline when it was acquired by its former sales and marketing manager, Ivan Vassallo, using a €5 million loan from one of Vitals’ owners.
The three government hospitals concession – St Luke’s, Karin Grech, and Gozo General Hospital were eventually sold to Steward Healthcare just 21 months after securing the 30-year-lease to operate them
Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit had accepted Repubblika’s request for an inquiry. The three ministers filed an appeal to revoke that ruling. While Vassallo didn’t appeal the inquiry, the decree is now binding for him as well and would not be testifying until the appeal is decided.
The court’s registrar requested a copy of the acts of the case with regard Vassallo but Mr Justice Grixti turned down the request, saying that while all the necessary prerequisites for the inquiry against the four suspects had been met, the inquiry could not go ahead against Vassallo alone and had to wait for the appeal to conclude.
“This would inevitably touch upon aspects contested by the other three since was one and the same case,” Mr Justice Grixti said, adding that it was within the duties of the court to do all that is deemed appropriate to administer justice to the best of its abilities and in line with the principles of the rule of law.
