The Nationalist Party has criticised the finance minister for having played down serious concerns on the Vitals Global Healthcare (VGH) deal.

"Rather than protecting the taxpayer as he is duty bound to do, Edward Scicluna yet again opted to protect his Cabinet colleagues, particularly Minister Konrad Mizzi," shadow finance minister Mario de Marco said in a statement.

Konrad Mizzi, he said, had transferred three of Malta's state hospitals to a company, Vitals, that had no experience in the health sector.

After failing to honour its obligations, Vitals sold the concession to another company making hundreds of millions of euros profits in the process, behind the people's back.

"Minister Edward Scicluna at the very least should have taken steps to suspend the sale of the hospitals, pending an investigation into the matter. However, as happened in the case of Pilatus Bank, Minister Scicluna played the three monkeys game and refused to talk or listen to the serious concerns being raised," Dr de Marco said. 

This was why, he added, Opposition leader Adrian Delia has taken this matter to court in a bid to recoup the hospitals and to safeguard the interest of the Maltese taxpayers.

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