Opposition leader Simon Busuttil this morning slammed the government for signing away the Gozo hospital to a private investor for 99 years.
The Sunday Times of Malta revealed today that the hospital has effectively been privatised for 99 years and not just 30 years, as the government has repeatedly declared.
A copy of the contract seen by this paper shows that the private investor Vitals has the right to unilaterally extend the contract by 69 years.
Speaking during a PN radio interview, Dr Busuttil said the government had clearly lied when it said the contract would be for 30 years.
He pointed out that the contract was signed by then health minister Konrad Mizzi in March during the height of the Panama scandal, while the population had taken to the streets calling for his resignation.
“Imagine while you are under all that pressure to resign you are signing the Gozo Hospital contract, saying it is a 30-year contract which was a lie…
“Was the national interest protected? Was the government protecting the national interest or the investor’s interest? This is a huge betrayal of the national interest,” Dr Busuttil said.
Dr Busuttil warned that the Opposition will not let this issue slide, and reminded of his call to the police for all contracts involving Dr Mizzi and Keith Schembri to be investigated.
The Opposition leader also turned his focus on deputy central bank governor Alfred Mifsud.
Dr Busuttil said Mr Mifsud must resign immediately given the corruption allegations he is facing.
Dr Busuttil questioned how Mr Mifsud withdrew from the race to become central bank governor yet retained his current role.
“If you are not good enough to be governor then are you good enough to be deputy governor. Why is he still there given the current cloud of corruption allegations,” Dr Busuttil said.
He questioned what the government is going to do about the matter.
Dr Busuttil said that when the finance minister Edward Scicluna was asked about it in parliament this week, Professor Scicluna said his opinion on the matter is “irrelevant”.
“Why are you finance minister if you are irrelevant? If you are not capable of being relevant you should retire. If the minister responsible is not telling us his opinion, where else can you go from there,” Dr Busuttil asked.
He said the government will stop at nothing to defend people within its inner-circle.
On this week’s Brexit vote, Dr Busuttil repeated his offer to the government to work with it in the national interest.
“The PN’s interest is the national interest. The national interest is that Malta is in a strong and united EU,” Dr Busuttil said.
He reminded that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had opposed Malta EU membership, and he was now saying that leaving the EU would be suicide.
“If it is suicide to leave the EU then it would have been suicide not to join it,” Dr Busuttil said.
HEALTH MINISTRY REACTION
In a reaction, the Ministry of Health said it would be up to the government to decide if the concession for the Gozo hospital and Karin Grech Hospital could be renewed after 30 years.
Vitals Global Healthcare could only exercise a right to extend the title over St Luke's Hospital, which would be renovated mostly for medical tourism.
The ministry said the claim that the Gozo hospital had been handed over for 99 years was not correct but, it said, this was a misinterpretation of the notarial act.