The Democratic Party has endorsed its support to a request by Nationalist deputy leader David Aguis calling on the Auditor General to probe the hospitals' concession sale by Vitals.

MP Marlene Farrugia referred to an article in The Sunday Times of Malta that a Memorandum of Understanding with the investors (Oxley Capital) was signed six months before the actual call for expressions of interest/bids was issued.

"If these claims are indeed founded, this concession falls foul of public procurement rules. A Memorandum of Understanding, even if not legally binding, was signed before the actual public call and as a consequence, the now concessionaire/operator had an unfair advantage over other potential bidders, and, as a result the state could not have got the best price/deal in absence of a true competitive process. It is also likely that in the absence of a competitive bidding process, the deal breaches state aid rules," Dr Farrugia wrote.

The PD recalled that last September it had also asked for an investigation into whether the investors in Smart City were abiding by their contract with the government.

Meanwhile, PD MP Godfrey Farrugia has told The Shift news that he was forced out of the health ministry in March 2014 to pave way for the privatisation deal which saw Vitals Global Healthcare take over three public hospitals.

He said he had stepped down as minister on a matter of principle. At the time, Vitalis still hadn’t been conceived but rumours in the OPM’s corridors were such that a possible venture could be established, he said.

These were never discussed with him, he added.   

“Unfortunately, the Vitals pro-shady-business-contract has opened an oozing and infected wound in our national health service not only because of its multi-faceted bad governance but also because it is not a fair public deal," he said.