The former CEO of the Foundation for Medical Services has categorically rejected the “unfounded and malicious insinuations” being made by Health Minister Konrad Mizzi in his regard and reserved the right to take legal action.

His statement came after Dr Mizzi earlier this afternoon called on Opposition leader Simon Busuttil to shoulder responsibility for the weak concrete at Mater Dei Hospital saying the Brian St John, the former CEO, who now headed the Nationalist Party’s commercial companies, had not given a handover to his successor.

“My record at the FMS speaks for itself and was always driven by the principles of ethics and good governance.

“It is deplorable that Konrad Mizzi attempts to tarnish my reputation simply because I am now the CEO of Medialink Communications. This, when just yesterday, the Arup report - commissioned by Government - gave a clean bill of health to the Mater Dei Hospital Oncology Centre which was designed and built during my tenure as CEO of FMS,” Mr St John said.

He said the chronology of facts refuted Dr Mizzi's “insinuations adding he resigned his FMS post on May 30, 2014 and the inquiry started four months later “at which point my relationship with the FMS had ceased. Thus, I could not have withheld any information from anyone. Incidentally I never held a key to any safe at the FMS,” he said.

Photo: Jason BorgPhoto: Jason Borg

Speaking during a visit to the works underway on a new two-storey building that will be taking an additional 68 beds, Dr Mizzi said that when Mr St John had left the FMS he placed all the relevant documents in the safe without telling anyone and nothing could be found when the inquiry started.

This, he said, was not acceptable and Dr Busuttil had to take political responsibility.

Dr Mizzi said that the inquiry report would be published in the coming days and it would also be tabled in Parliament.

Yesterday, Dr Mizzi said he had requested a meeting with Skanska after an investigation found weak concrete across Mater Dei Hospital, except the new oncology section. The repair work will cost some €30 million.

Asked what action would the government be taking in practical terms, Dr Mizzi said this would be contemplated once the inquiry was concluded.

He said it was a well-known fact that the Nationalist government had known that something was wrong with the building as the helipad had not been built on the roof.

In a statement, the Nationalist Party said the government was trying to deviate attention from the Zonqor development saga by diverting attention to Mater Dei because it had its back to the wall.

This, it said, was the second time that Dr Mizzi opted to throw mud at a political adversary.

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